The Only Exception
by MissCarolineForbes
Summary: Idea taken from the movie: The Wedding Date. Damon and Elena are getting married. Not wanting to see his brother marry his ex alone, Stefan hires Caroline, a Shameless Girl, to be his date to the wedding. One week, 3,000 dollar pay. Two rules: No sex & No falling in love. Caroline/Stefan. AH/AU. M for language and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1 Save The Date

_**Welcome! This is my second Steroline story, and I am really excited to see what you guys think of it:) **_

_**Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy! I got this idea from the movie The Wedding Date, but don't expect it to be anything more like that film besides the basic idea of hiring a date for a wedding. **_

_**Enjoy!;)**_

* * *

**The Only Exception**

**1: Save the Date**

Six months before her 25th birthday, Caroline Forbes went through something she likes to call a 'Quarter-Life Crisis'. Much like a mid-life crisis, she started to feel like her life was passing her by, and yet she was going nowhere. She was still stuck in same old boring town she grew up in, feeling like she was waiting on some grand opportunity to come along and take her away. She had an okay job, a decent social life, and a perfectly average boyfriend, but...she wanted _more._ She wanted adventure, she wanted to travel, and yeah, she wanted the opportunity to find an epic romance of her own, if those even exist outside of cheesy fantasy novels. So, Caroline Forbes did what any almost-25-year-old suffering from a quarter-life crisis would do; she quit her job, packed up her belongings, and moved to New York City.

Life in the City is much more fast-paced and exciting than Caroline's hometown in Warwick, Massachusetts. It is also more expensive, a lot more expensive, and despite there being millions of businesses, Caroline was having a very difficult time getting hired anywhere. She had worked at a daycare in Warwick, but she moved to New York for a _change_, so she wanted to try something different. She'd always loved singing, so she auditioned as a singer for a few different restaurants, but was turned away. She started to wonder if maybe she wasn't as great at singing as she thought she was...Thoroughly discouraged, Caroline began applying to anywhere and everywhere that had a 'Help Wanted' sign posted. Eventually, she had an interview at a swanky bar in Manhattan, and was hired on the spot. Finally, her luck had turned.

Shameless Bar is where Caroline met Katherine Pierce, who quickly became her best friend in NYC. Katherine was born in the City, and she had such attitude and confidence, something Caroline both envied and admired. She wished she could be so effortlessly sexy, but she had to try really hard to look and feel good about herself. Katherine gladly took Caroline under her wing, treating her like a new pet, introducing her to all her hip friends, and showing her around to all the best places in New York. Caroline soaked up everything like a sponge, quickly adapting to life in the City, along with Katherine's help. Caroline discovered her inner party girl, someone she hadn't seen since high school, and she liked the new woman she was becoming. She was glad to see her decision to move away from Warwick was a good one, and not an awful disaster that had her running back home to Mommy in less than six months.

On her 25th Birthday, Caroline was ordered by Katherine to come Shameless Bar, even though it was her night off, at promptly 9PM. By now, Caroline knew better than to argue with Katherine, so she agreed to show up at the requested time. Caroline put on a gold-sequined micro-mini dress with matching gold stilletos. Katherine had re-vamped Caroline's style once they became friends, too. She said Caroline's closet was much too 'Country Miss' and not enough 'Sexy Seductress'. Caroline wasn't sure she wanted to come off as a sexy seductress, but once she tried on some of the clothes Katherine suggested, she immediately changed her mind. She looked _hot! _So why shouldn't she dress like it? After perfecting her makeup and touching up her blonde locks with the curling iron, she stepped back and took a look in the mirror. She was astonished at how happy she looked. Six months ago, she could have sworn an entirely different person was staring back at her, but now...now she's really happy, and she feels _alive. _She hasn't felt that way in a long, long time.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAROLINE!"

The joyous shouts from the waitresses at Shameless upon Caroline's entrance attracted the attention of all the patrons in the bar. Someone started singing the Happy Birthday song, and soon nearly everyone in the building was singing along. It was loud and off-key, but Caroline was grinning from ear-to-ear by the end. She clapped along with everyone and did a little curtsy as she thanked her new friends, Katherine especially, and the others in the bar.

"Aren't you glad you listened to me?" Katherine asked as she nudged Caroline's shoulder in greeting.

Caroline rolled her blue eyes and pulled Katherine in for a hug, even though she knows Katherine isn't a touchy-feely person. She is, and it is her birthday, so Katherine can shove it for a minute and accept that the hug is happening. Surprisingly, Katherine retuned the hug, commenting, "You're such a sap."

"Oh, sue me," Caroline quipped.

"Hey Care," Miss Pearl, the owner of Shameless, called Caroline's attention to the bar, "Happy Birthday, darlin'. This is for you," she gestures to a tall glass of some kind of blue alcoholic beverage, "A suckerpunch, on the house of course; just what you need for your birthday." The youthful-looking oriental woman winks before cackling with laughter.

Caroline raised an eyebrow in Katherine's direction before hesitantly picking up the glass and taking a sip. It tasted like blueberries and lemon, and only a hint of vodka could be picked out amongst the fruity blend. Once Caroline finished the glass though and stood up from the bar, she started feeling the room spin. "Whoa," She said as she turned back to Miss Pearl, "That was stronger than I thought..."

"See..." Pearl grins devilishly, "_Suckerpunch. _Get it?"

"Yeah, I think I do," Caroline laughs. "Thanks for the drink, Pearl."

Katherine dropped off drinks with her last table and then un-tied her apron. She tossed it in her cubby behind the bar, scooped up her tips from the evening's shift, and sought out Caroline in the crowd. "Hey," She said to her blonde-haired friend, "I'm off the clock. Let's go, the night isn't over yet."

Caroline didn't know what Katherine had in store for them, but when she followed Kat's directions to a fancy hotel in the upper east side, she was not expecting for the penthouse suite to be rented out for the night and fifty of Katherine's friends to be occupying it. Katherine really knew how to party. Even though she only knew half the guests, Caroline had a great time at her birthday party. Partly because she was completely wasted, and partly because she was the center of attention. Everyone wanted to dance with the birthday girl, do a shot with the birthday girl, and for some reason, take a picture with the birthday girl. Caroline wondered to herself if this was what being a celebrity feels like.

At around four-thirty in the morning, Caroline found herself sitting on the roof of the hotel with Katherine, both laying flat on their backs as they gazed up at the sky. The stars were still twinkling, but nighttime was slowly fading, and soon the sun would come up. Caroline realized, and voiced aloud, "I'm officially twenty-five." After a short pause, she added, "Why does that feel so old?"

Katherine snorted, "Because you're a neurotic control freak, and you probably thought you'd be married with a kid by now, living in a picture perfect white picket fence house, and pretending to be happy with your boring life."

"Hey!" Caroline protests to her friend's harsh criticism. "I am not neurotic!"

"Whatever, but am I right?" Katherine insists, "Isn't it true that you had all these plans? And because things haven't gone according to plan, you feel like a complete fuck-up?"

"I..." Caroline frowns, "Guess so. Yeah. I-I did think things would be different. I did think I'd have a more solid future at this point in my life, but...I decided I don't need that to be happy. I've been trying to control too much, and it's unrealistic to think I can control everything. I just want to let go and live; let life make some decisions for me, you know? I want to not think so much, and have a good time, and just be happy."

"I think that sounds like a capital idea," Katherine comments in a faux-British accent.

"You know what I do wish, though?" Caroline asks suddenly.

"What?" Katherine asks, albeit in a slightly bored tone.

"I wish I was making more money," Caroline admits. "I love working at Shameless, but it's still so hard to make rent. I have some money saved up still, but the move here almost sucked me dry, and now I'm worried I'm not going to be able to afford my apartment in another couple of months."

"What are you saying?" Katherine suddenly seems much more interested, "You need more money?"

"Yeah," Caroline giggles, "That's what I said."

"Well why didn't you say something sooner?" Katherine queries, a smartass smirk on her lips. "I know exactly how you can make some extra cash."

At the sound of that, Caroline was hooked. She wanted all the details. And that is how she found out about the secret business Miss Pearl was running when Shameless is closed; an escort service. Caroline felt scandalized after hearing that, and told Katherine she'd _never _work as a prostitute, no matter what kind of pretty name she dressed it up with. Katherine quickly corrected that it wasn't _that kind _of escort service. Miss Pearl runs a respectable escort service. The men who call in for dates are all aware about the number one rule: No sex is to be had between a customer and his escort. Shameless Girls, as Katherine said they are called, are like actresses. They play the part of the perfect girlfriend for a shy or lonely man who longs for the company of a woman. The men are usually older, Katherine says, and the dates are somewhat boring, but the money is excellent.

"One dinner date, and you can make two hundred dollars," Katherine bragged, "That's like working a job and making a hundred dollars an hour. One time, on a Saturday, I had three dates in one evening, and I went home with eight-hundred bucks!"

"Wow." Caroline breathes. _Eight-hundred dollars in one night?!_ That's a lot of money! Caroline could really use money like that. "You promise if I do this, I won't end up with some creepy pervert who tries to make a move?"

"I promise," Katherine says as she rolls her brown eyes. "Miss Pearl would never let a creepy pervert anywhere near you. She is seeing a guy who's a private investigator, so he does background checks on all the men first. I've been doing this for three years, and I've never been out with one man who wasn't a complete gentleman."

Caroline is glad to hear that, and it definitely makes her feel much more at ease with the idea of dating a complete stranger for money. Really, though, it doesn't sound half-bad. She's fun and flirty. She loves to talk and meet new people. She just might be able to pull it off...

"I'll do it," Caroline decides. "I'll give it a try. I need the money, and I trust you and Miss Pearl. Can you talk to her for me?"

"I'll call her in the morning," Katherine says with a grin.

"Uh, Kat?" Caroline points out, "It _is _morning." The sun was just beginning to brighten the navy blue sky with its red-orange glow. The sight of the sunrise with the city buildings in front is breathtaking. Caroline can't help but feel it is the perfect ending to a perfect birthday.

* * *

"I can't do this." Caroline blurts out after feeling her stomach do another nervous flip-flop. She backs away from the taxi Katherine hailed a few moments before.

"Yes," Katherine says sternly, "You can. Caroline, you cannot back out now. He's meeting you in fifteen minutes, and you have to be there when he arrives. Now, get in the _cab_." Katherine places her hand on the center of Caroline's back and gives her a nice shove in the direction of the open door to the yellow taxi, whose driver seems to be growing aggravated with both girls.

She sighs, finally giving in to her fate, "Okay. Fine. I'm going. But if I don't send you a text in thirty minutes saying everything is cool, you better call the cops."

"Oh my God," Katherine complains, "You are such a spaz. Nothing is going to go wrong. Just go! And don't forget to smile and have a good time." Katherine smiles, showing off her pearly white and perfectly straightened teeth. Men probably pop a boner just looking at that smile. What Caroline wouldn't give to be as gorgeous as Katherine.

"Relax. Smile. Enjoy." Caroline repeats the words of advice Miss Pearl gave her an hour ago. "What's his name again? I forgot already."

"Stefan," Katherine reminds the blonde, "Stefan Salvatore."

"Right," Caroline nods, "Stefan Salvatore." _Stefan Salvatore. Stefan Salvatore. _Caroline repeats the name in her head over and over to commit it to memory. She tries to recall what the information card she received from Miss Pearl said. Her mind is a total blank. She's never been on a blind date in her life, and now she's going on one that she's going to get paid for, and all she can think about is it turning into a complete disaster.

When the cab stops in front of the restaurant Kat gave him directions for, Caroline takes a deep breath, muttering to herself, "Okay. I can do this." She hands the cabbie some money, straightens out her skirt, and climbs out of the car. She decides she's going to borrow Katherine's confidence for the day. Kat said she can be anybody she wants to be, so she has no reason to be nervous. Today, she's not Caroline Forbes, but anyone in the world she feels like being.

Caroline strides into the restaurant with new purpose, her hips sashaying side to side and her curls bouncing on her shoulders in a very attractive fashion. She greets the hostess by giving her date's last name, and then smiles smugly when she is told Stefan hasn't beaten her here. That's good. Katherine did say she was supposed to arrive first. Caroline orders herself a raspberry martini, on the rocks, and then sips from it slowly while she waits for Stefan to arrive. Each middle-aged man who is lead into the restaurant, Caroline's got her eyes on wondering if they are going to be brought over to her table. But none of them are.

Caroline is so determined to pick out her date before he sees her, that she doesn't notice the sharply-dressed young man heading in her direction until he speaks. "Caroline?"

Caroline straightens up at the sound of her name, eyes searching for the owner to the voice. When they land on the handsome green-eyed man standing before her, they widen in surprise. _That can't be..._"Yes?"

"Stefan Salvatore," He introduces, extending his hand to hers.

"Oh," Caroline can't seem to hide her surprise. She remembers her manners and shakes his hand, "Caroline Forbes. So nice to meet you." _Crap, _she thinks to herself, _I wasn't supposed to tell him my full name. _Well, too late now. Less than two minutes into her first date and she already messed something up. But it's really not her fault. Miss Pearl never said Stefan Salvatore was a hot young twenty-something with light brown hair and gorgeous green eyes. She never mentioned he'd have a kickin' body and impeccable manners, to boot. She was under the impression the clients were...well, old. But Stefan must be, what, twenty-five, twenty-six?

"Very nice to meet you as well," Stefan returns as he takes his seat across from her. "Have you been waiting long?"

"No, not at all," Caroline assures him, "I just got here a few minutes ago." His eyes find her martini glass, which is half-empty, and she blushes. He probably thinks she's got a drinking problem. That's just great. "Well, maybe five or ten."

"I'm sorry," Stefan says sincerely, "I was in a meeting and it ran late."

"It's really no problem," Caroline insists. "What line of work are you in?"

Stefan tells Caroline that he works for an advertisement agency, but his real passion is writing. He is currently writing a novel, which he won't share details on until it's finished, and hopes to publish it before the end of the year. Caroline thinks he's very ambitious, and that is an attractive quality in a man. Her last boyfriend worked at an auto part store and seemed perfectly content to remain there for the duration of his life. Not that Stefan is her boyfriend or anything, but still, he's her date for the night, and it's kind of nice to be out with a man who is intellegent and has class. In fact, Stefan is so charming, Caroline can't seem to figure out what he's doing calling Shameless Girls for a date in the first place.

After dinner, once they've gotten to know each other and used up all the small talk topics, and once Caroline has had two more martinis, she starts asking the serious questions. "So, Stefan, tell me...why don't you have a _real _girlfriend?" She tried to ask as un-intrusively as possible, but she doesn't think a question like that can really be asked without coming off as a little nosy.

Surprisingly, Stefan doesn't seem mad. In fact, he seems relieved she asked. "My life is too busy right now for a girlfriend. I don't have time to go out and meet somebody, and I've always hated dating. There's a reason I called..." He trails off, seeming to look around to make sure no one else is overhearing their conversation.

"And what is that reason?" Caroline prompts, before he decides not to tell her.

Stefan gazes across the table at her for a minute, and she's mesmerized by how handsome his face looks in this lighting. She wonders what it must look like in other lightings. _He probably looks beautiful all the time._

Finally, Stefan answers, "My brother's getting married. At the end of the month."

"Oh..." Caroline isn't sure what to say. He doesn't seem to happy about this normally joyous celebration.

"He's marrying my ex-girlfriend," Stefan clarifies after noticing Caroline's clueless expression.

"Wow," Caroline says sympathetically, "That's...pretty fucked up."

Stefan laughs, his first genuine laugh of the date, and agrees, "Yeah, it is."

"What does that have to do with me, though?" Caroline wonders, leaning her elbows on the table so she can position herself just a little closer to Stefan.

Stefan copies Caroline, hunching over the table so he can tell her in a quiet voice, "I need a date for the wedding. I can't go alone, it'll be too pathetic. I was hoping I could maybe talk you into going with me. I know it's not what you usually do, but I'll pay you three-thousand dollars. And if that's not enough, then-"

"Wait, what?" Caroline cuts him off, "Three-thousand dollars? That's...insane. I can't even...What?"

"Well, it's kind of this huge week-long affair," Stefan elaborates, "And it's out-of-state, so I figured three-thousand would be a reasonable price. If you need money for a dress, I can pay for that too."

"A week?" Caroline repeats, not sure what to think. He wants her to attend his brother's week-long wedding extravaganza with him? "Where is it?"

"My hometown," Stefan answers, "Mystic Falls, Virginia."

_Never heard of it, _Caroline muses_, but I doubt he's heard of Warwick, Massachusetts, so who am I to talk? _

Stefan can obviously see the confusion and apprehension on Caroline's face, so he adds, "Caroline, believe me, I tried finding a real date to bring, but it was impossible. This is my last option. I promise, it'll be like a free vacation to you. Mystic Falls might be a small town, but my father owns the biggest house in the town, and he is already bragging that this wedding will be the talk of the town for decades to come. Just...come with me; pretend to be my girlfriend, and I'll pay you whatever you like. You name your price."

He seems so...desperate, but underneath that Caroline can see pain and sadness. Stefan might not have said it, but going to this wedding, having to see his brother marry his ex, it's killing him. He's broken inside. Caroline doesn't know Stefan Salvatore all that well, but she can't let him go that wedding by himself. It'd be cruel and she is just not a cruel person.

"Three-thousand is fine," Caroline finds herself saying.

"Does that mean you'll do it? You'll come to the wedding with me?" Stefan asks hopefully.

"Yes," Caroline nods, "I'll do it."

* * *

_**Please Review! What do you think of this idea? Should I continue it, or not? Drop me a line and let me know:)**_

_**If you didn't know it, I have another Steroline story on here, it's called Tangled: I Want You To Stay. Go check it out if you haven't already, and be sure to review. **_

_**Reviews are like food for your brain, you know;)**_

_**-MissCarolineForbes**_


	2. Chapter 2 Officially A Shameless Girl

_**Thanks for the very sweet and encouraging reviews on the first chapter!:) After last night's episode of TVD I was super inspired to write more of this story, especially with the little moment between Stefan & Care;) so I hope you guys like this! **_

* * *

**The Only Exception **

**2: Officially A Shameless Girl **

**. **

"Shameless Bar," Caroline instructs to the cabbie as she climbs in the backseat, "Corner of West 54th and 6th Ave."

As much as she'd like to save money, Caroline decides to take a cab to Shameless instead of riding the subway, because it's almost eleven and she isn't comfortable taking the subway by herself this late at night. She and Stefan ended their date about ten minutes ago, making plans to meet for dinner again on Wednesday night so they can continue getting to know one another. Stefan doesn't want his family to be suspicious of their relationship, and Caroline completely understands. In fact, learning more about Stefan will also make _her_ feel more comfortable with the whole situation. She isn't a veteran Shameless Girl; she doesn't know what men usually expect from them and/or if she's meeting any of the usual demands. Should she have flirted a bit more? Should she have kissed him goodnight? She wanted to remain professional, but at what point does a Shameless Girl draw the line? Because of all her confusion, and accepting the offer to attend Stefan's brother's wedding at the end of the month, Caroline needs to stop in the bar and have a talk with Miss Pearl.

"Hey Anna," Caroline greets the dark-haired twenty-one year old who is currently pouring shots for a group of college-aged males at the bar. "Busy night, huh?"

"Yeah, no kidding," Anna, who is Pearl's only daughter, returns the bottle of Absolute Crystal vodka to the shelf and faces Caroline to answer her question, "I haven't had five minutes of peace in the last three hours. Every time I turn, someone is waving their hand at me for another drink. I've been running around so much, I'm seriously sweating like a pig. It's disgusting."

Caroline laughs as Anna wipes the sweat off her brow with the sleeve of her black Shameless shirt, the name of the bar written across her chest in hot pink lettering. Anna has had her bartending license for almost three years, but because New York recently changed their laws as to who can and can't bartend, she's only been working at Shameless since her twenty-first birthday, which was three months ago. She might complain, but Caroline knows the raven-haired girl loves her job. Pearl has owned Shameless since Anna was fourteen, and ever since then Anna couldn't wait for the day she could tend the bar. She hopes to buy it from her mom one day.

"Look at how full the tip basket is though," Caroline points to the wicker basket, which looks like it may have once been used on Easter Sundays years ago, and is currently filled to the brim with one and five dollar bills. "That, my dear Anna, makes all of _this_," she gestures to the crowded and chaotic bar, "worth it."

Anna nods, agreeing with the older girl's reasoning. Her dark eyes light up and she asks knowingly, "Hey, I heard you had a _date _tonight. How'd it go?" She waggles her eyebrows suggestively, and Caroline wonders if Anna is a Shameless Girl also. She didn't think she was, but it's not like she asked.

"It was..." Caroline can't think of a word to describe her dinner date with Stefan, so she settles with, "really good. I actually just left him, and I was hoping to catch your mom. Is she still here?"

"Yeah, she's in the back," Anna points a thumb over her shoulder towards the swinging black door that blocks off the bar from the storage room and Miss Pearl's office.

"Thanks," Caroline says, giving Anna a little wave as she walks behind the bar and into the storage room where shelves upon shelves and neatly stacked boxes of alcohol bottles are kept. The bottles in the storage room are organized first by alcohol type and then alphabetically by brand. Caroline appreciates Miss Pearl's organizational skills, because she also tends to be a bit obsessive-compulsive when it comes to her apartment, and she's glad to see she's not the only one.

At the door to Miss Pearl's office, Caroline knocks, even though the door is open half-way with a clear view of the forty-something year-old bar keep inside. She is sitting behind a desk, sifting through recent receipts, and Caroline doesn't want to startle her by simply walking in unannounced. Pearl looks up, lowering her reading glasses to the bridge of her nose so she can peer over the top at the blonde in her doorway.

"Caroline," She says, looking surprised to see her despite Caroline's efforts to not sneak up on the poor woman, "What are you doing here? Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, yeah," Caroline assures her quickly, before Miss Pearl gets the wrong idea and thinks Stefan mistreated her while on their date, "Everything is fine. I just wanted to stop by on my way home, to...talk to you about something."

Miss Pearl removes her glasses completely, setting both them and the stack of receipts to the side of her desk. She stands up from her chair, gesturing for Caroline to come inside the room, and then she closes the door quietly. She requests Caroline have a seat, and she does, even though it somehow makes her feel like she's in trouble. Miss Pearl resettles in her seat, and then waits patiently for Caroline to start talking.

"Uh..." Caroline blushes, not knowing where to start, "Okay. Well, the date was fine; perfect, even. Stefan was a complete gentleman."

"I should hope so," Pearl replies, "I've known Stefan since he was a little boy, and he's always been a perfect gentleman." Caroline's ears perk up at her words, and she hopes Pearl will elaborate on how and why she knew Stefan as a boy, but she doesn't.

"Oh, you know Stefan personally?" Caroline queries, confused as to why Pearl or Stefan hadn't mentioned that already. "Why didn't you tell me? I was honestly surprised to see that he was so..." _How can I put this nicely? _"Young and...well, hot."

Miss Pearl chortles, her eyes crinkling up with mirth, "I think an important part about a date with a Shameless Girl is the entrance. It makes it special for you to meet for the first time and not know what you're getting into."

Well, in her case, Caroline feels that statement is especially true. When she sat down at the table in the restaurant, she was not expecting to walk out with another date planned as well as a week-long wedding 'gig'. Is that what it should be called? She is going to be acting the part of Stefan's girlfriend.

Caroline frowns, wondering to herself before voicing out loud, "Did he mention...Did you know what he planned to ask me?"

Pearl's eyes give away her confusion before her reply comes. "He told me he wanted a stress-free night out with a beautiful woman...What is it that he asked you?" She quirks an eyebrow up, clearly interested in the answer.

Caroline chews on her lip nervously.

"Caroline," Pearl says, her voice sounding concerned, "What did Stefan ask you to do?"

"He wants me to attend his brother's wedding," Caroline explains slowly, "As his date. His pretend girlfriend, rather."

Pearl clucks her tongue against her teeth, "I can't believe he didn't tell me. What a little..."

"I said yes," Caroline adds quickly. "I don't know why, but I told him I'd do it. Is that okay? Am I allowed to say yes? I didn't know what to say, but he looked so-"

"It's all right," Miss Pearl cuts in with a warm smile. "Actually, now that you mention it that does seem to make more sense than Stefan needing a date with one of my girls..." Pearl stares past Caroline's shoulder, lost in thought for a moment.

"The wedding is in Mystic Falls, Virginia," Caroline states, wondering if Pearl lived there too before moving to the City, "Stefan's hometown. He also said I'd be gone for a whole week. I can't believe I said I'd go. What was I thinking?" Caroline runs her fingers through her hair and tugs hard. "What am I gonna do? Oh my God..." The sound of Miss Pearl's laughter puts an end to Caroline's brief freak-out.

"Oh darlin'," Pearl soothes, "Stop worrying so much. I will tell you everything you need to know."

For the next hour and a half, Miss Pearl explained her reasoning behind starting the Shameless Girls escort service. She told Caroline the rules, which she's already heard once, but didn't mind being retold. She was given tips on how to act and what to talk about. She told Caroline that it was important to get to know what their clients like, since they will usually turn into a repeat customer who asks for the same girl each time. Since she plans on playing Stefan's girlfriend for a whole week, Miss Pearl instructs that their next few dates should be spent getting the story of their relationship figured out. Caroline should also learn all of Stefan's favorites, and be sure to adapt to a style and personality that he approves of, since it is his family she's going to be trying to impress. By the end, Caroline feels like all her questions have been answered, but she's even more nervous than before. It's a _lot _of pressure, and she isn't even sure she can pull it off. There's no turning back now, though. Miss Pearl has a date with another man set up for Friday night. Caroline is officially a Shameless Girl.

**.**

"You bitch!"

Caroline twirls around at the sound of Katherine's voice as she exits Shameless at half-past midnight. The curly-haired brunette is standing outside with her back pressed against the brick building, a cigarette in her right hand and a lighter in her left. She is wearing a trendy little black dress with red pumps and a long, red beaded necklace. Red lipstick completes the look, making her appear classy and sexy at the same time.

"What?" Caroline asks with a short laugh. She wasn't expecting to see Katherine; it's her night off. She isn't disappointed to see her friend, but she's too tired to talk anymore, and she wants to get home to bed. Obviously that isn't going to happen quite yet.

"You didn't call me after your date!" Katherine accuses. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to talk to Pearl," Caroline answers carefully, not wanting to get back onto the topic of her date with Stefan, and her upcoming dates as a Shameless Girl. "Besides, you never texted me earlier to check in and make sure I was _alive!_"

"Oh please," Katherine says with a roll of her eyes, "You're here, aren't you? And you're _alive_, so what's your problem?" She re-lights her cigarette and takes a drag.

"I'm just tired," Caroline says briefly. She knows she is being awkward, but after what Miss Pearl warned her of, she can't help it. She was never too good at keeping a secret all to herself, and in this case, the secret has to be kept from her closest friend here in NYC and that makes it even more difficult.

"Come on, you're not going to make me beg, are you?" Katherine whines, pulling Caroline closer to the wall so she can pester her in a quieter voice, "Tell me about your date!"

"It was good, Katherine," Caroline answers impatiently. "We ate dinner, we talked, and we set up another date for Wednesday."

"Really?" Katherine grins, "That's great! Was he nice? What does he do for a living? Was he old? Fat? Bald? My date tonight was all three..."

This was exactly the topic Pearl told Caroline to avoid. What was she supposed to say now? "He was nice," Caroline says truthfully, "He works for an ad agency. He's not fat or bald. He's got a full head of hair, and green eyes."

Katherine's eyes flash with interest, "Oh?"

Caroline nods, sucking in her bottom lip slightly to keep from spilling more details on how _not _old and fat and bald Stefan was, how he was extremely handsome and practically perfect. Instead, she tries to change the subject, "Yup. Miss Pearl says I have another date next Friday with a man named...Nick Mikaelson, I think."

"What?" Katherine screeches, "No way! Really?"

"Yeah, why?" Caroline asks, blue eyes wide.

"Nothing," Katherine says shaking her head, "It's nothing. I have to go see Pearl..."

"Okay, see you tomorrow." Caroline is confused by Katherine's reaction to her new date's name, but she is too tired to think anything of it. She'll ask Kat about it tomorrow, or whenever she thinks of it again. Maybe Nick used to be _her _client and she's jealous Miss Pearl paired him with Caroline? That is plausible. Pearl did say Caroline shouldn't tell Katherine about Stefan or the wedding trip, because supposedly Katherine's been known to steal clients from other Shameless Girls. As close as Caroline feels to Katherine now, she has to follow Miss Pearl's advice, because she's known Katherine longer and it is her business.

And...maybe, just maybe, Caroline is a little insecure that if Katherine does find out and she does meet Stefan, he'd choose her over Caroline. Katherine is sexier. She has been a Shameless Girl for much longer. But Pearl wants Caroline to be Stefan's Shameless Girl; she said so herself. All Caroline has to do is keep Katherine from Stefan for the next few weeks...

**.**

"Okay, so," Caroline starts with a smile, "Your birthday is November 5th, and you're going to be twenty-six this year."

"Right," Stefan replies, "And your birthday is July 28th?"

"Yup," Caroline confirms. "You have one brother, four years your senior, and his name is Damon."

Stefan nods, his jaw twitching slightly at the mention of his brother, whom he told Caroline he hasn't spoken to at all in two years. "You're an only child, but you wish you had grown up with a sibling or two because you had a lonely childhood."

"Wow, good memory," Caroline compliments with another smile. She can't help it. Being around Stefan makes her smile, for some reason.

This is their third date, and they are strolling around the Central Park Zoo, since it is a beautiful Saturday afternoon and Caroline suggested they switch up their usual dinner-date to a day-date. Plus, she's never been to the zoo, and it's something she's been wanting to do since she moved to NYC. She's glad Stefan agreed to the change, and now that she's seeing him out of a suit for the first time and wearing jeans and a casual t-shirt, she's even happier. Caroline notes how perfectly sculpted Stefan's arms are, and she can't help but wonder what his chest and abs look like because they must be _cut! _Not to mention, surrounded by the tall trees of Central Park on this sunny day really brings out the green in his eyes, making them even more striking than usual. Caroline wonders if anyone who sees them together would believe they were a couple. She thinks not. There's no way someone like Stefan would be with someone like _her. _Not really, anyways.

Getting back on track, Caroline lists off the other facts she's memorized about Stefan so far. "You were born in Mystic Falls, and you lived there until you were eighteen, when you moved to New York to attend Columbia University. When you graduated, you moved back home for one year...and then you moved here to the City?" Caroline meets Stefan's eyes questioningly, as he was very vague during the explanation of this time in his life. Caroline thinks it has something to do with his break-up from Elena, his ex and Damon's fiancée, and Damon starting a relationship with her. She didn't ask, but it's kind of obvious that's the case.

"Something like that," Stefan shrugs, "But don't worry, I'll tell you about that later. It's not important." _False._ It is important, but it can wait until a later point in time. "You moved to New York from Massachusetts six months ago, right?"

"Yes sir," Caroline says teasingly. "What should we say I do for work? I don't think my serving position at Shameless is something worth bragging about. Not when your dad is one of Virginia's most respected judges."

"Yeah, he wouldn't be impressed with that," Stefan agrees honestly. "But you said you worked at a daycare before, right?" Caroline nods. "Well, maybe we can say you're a teacher. That's not stretching the truth too far, and teachers are people my father appreciates."

"Really?" Caroline asks hopefully. "Okay, yeah. That sounds good to me."

"Thanks again for doing this for me, Caroline," Stefan comments with a grateful smile.

_He's got such a great smile; why does he not smile more? _Caroline smiles back, her mind running away with happy thoughts of Stefan's sharp jaw and oh-so kissable looking lips...

"Is that your phone?" Stefan asks, motioning towards her purse, where a crazy tango-like ringtone is ringing out.

"Oh," Caroline jumps to answer it, "Yeah, it is. Sorry. Just one second. I got this phone like last month and I haven't figured out how to change the ringtone yet…" Caroline pulls the phone out just in time to see Katherine's name flash across the screen, followed immediately by the 'Missed Call' symbol. Oddly, it starts ringing again right away. Katherine. Frowning a little, Caroline presses 'Accept' and puts the phone to her ear, "Hey Kat."

"He-ey," Katherine's playful voice returns, "What are you up to?"

"I'm, uh-" Caroline peeks at Stefan, who is a few feet away watching the sea lion show, out of the corner of her eye and stumbles for an answer to Kat's question. "I'm out. Doing...stuff. I'm-"

Katherine cuts in, "Really? What kind of stuff, Care?" Katherine sounds especially sarcastic right now, and Caroline is getting the weird feeling that Kat may be up to something...

"Just-" Caroline falters again, unable to think of a good excuse because she doesn't want Stefan to hear her lying and question her about why.

"I can see you, Caroline," Katherine admits smugly. "Who's the hottie? Are you on a _date_? Like a for real date? I'm coming over."

"Wait," Caroline starts, but the phone _clicks_ in her ear and she knows Katherine has already hung up. "Shit." Caroline spins around in a full circle, her eyes searching for Katherine but not able to spot her in the crowd.

"Everything okay?" Stefan asks, suddenly at her side again.

"Uh...yeah," Caroline lies with a fake smile.

"Hey Care!"

Long, tan arms wrap around her from the side and she finds herself in a hug initiated by Katherine. _That's not strange or anything..._Katherine pulls back after a moment and steps back, and that's when Caroline notices that Kat is wearing a super tiny red tube top paired with teeny tiny jean shorts. Her usually curly brunette hair is straightened and cascading down to the middle of her back. She looks stunning. But seriously, Caroline can't believe how little clothing she has on. It might be August, but way to make every other female feel like crap about their bodies. Katherine is built like a supermodel.

"I just got my hair done," Kat explains, pointing in the direction of what must be her hair salon, but it's nowhere in sight since they're in Central Park. "You like?"

"It looks great," Caroline tells her truthfully, "It's so long!"

"I know, I love it!" Katherine smiles and twirls around, and when she stops she's looking at Stefan. She puts on her sexiest smirk and acts like she didn't see him until now. "Oh. Hi. Are you a friend of Caroline?" She checks him out in an obvious but uncaring way and then shows him a full-toothed smile.

Caroline can't help but feel a little annoyed with Katherine for flirting so openly with someone who very well could have been an actual prospective boyfriend for her. He's not, but still, what kind of friend does that? And while Caroline is standing right here too?

"Something like that," Stefan replies vaguely, his eyes flicking over to Caroline's for a moment before returning to Katherine's. Caroline hopes he doesn't introduce himself, but he's too much of a gentleman not to. "I'm Stefan."

Katherine's eyes immediately jump to Caroline as she repeats, "_Stefan!_ Nice to meet you. I'm Katherine." She takes his hand and shakes it, her eyes lingering on his. Stefan takes his hand back, though, and she giggles appropriately and teases her friend, "How did _you _get yourself such a hottie, Caroline?"

Caroline can read Katherine's deeper meaning behind the statement; that she's jealous of Caroline getting Stefan as her client and she's angry that Care didn't tell her about him. Her face reddens when she can't think of anything to say, and she is even more annoyed that Katherine is being such a fake bitch to her at the moment. She thought Kat was cooler than that, but maybe she was wrong? No, that can't be true. Katherine is her best friend in New York; they do everything together. Something must be going on with her that she's not telling Caroline.

"We're just friends," Stefan answers for Caroline, and then continues on to say, "I should get going. But I'll call you, okay?" That was directed towards Caroline, as well as the apologetic look following it. "Nice to meet you, Katherine." He waves as he walks away.

Once he's out of earshot, Katherine mutters, "Ouch. Just friends. Do you think maybe he doesn't like you?"

"What the hell is your problem?" Caroline demands heatedly. "We were getting along fine, for your information, up until you came along and _scared him off!_"

"Jeez, calm down," Kat scowls, "I didn't know _he _was the client you've been seeing. I should be mad at you! Why didn't you tell me?" Katherine folds her arms across her chest, the result pushing her breasts up even further out of her tube top to the point where her cleavage is practically spilling out.

Caroline tries to think of any excuse that isn't 'Miss Pearl told me not to tell you, because she thinks you'll try and steal him from me' because she has a feeling that might back-fire. On her or Miss Pearl, she's not sure, but either way it wouldn't be good. "I don't know...I guess I was worried if you knew how handsome he is, and young, that you might try and take him for yourself." She laughed awkwardly before stating in a not-so sure voice, "But you wouldn't do that, right?" Her inner insecurities are completely on display as she voices her fear aloud.

Katherine's dark brown eyes go wide and innocent as she shakes her head. "Oh my God, no, of course not. Care, I might be jealous, but I would never do that. I'm already completely full anyways; I couldn't take on another man if I wanted to. That's probably why Miss Pearl gave him to you. But it's cute," Katherine scrunches up her nose and smiles in a way one would smile at a baby, and Caroline is starting to hate the word cute because of the mocking way Kat always says it to her. She is _not _a cute little puppy; she is a fun and beautiful and independent woman. But Katherine makes her feel like an insecure teenager. "You don't have to worry about me trying to steal your client, Care. I'd never do that to a friend."

"Okay," Caroline smiles, hugging Katherine, "I'd never do it to you, either. I'm sorry for freaking out."

"Great," Katherine pulls away, "Well while we're on the topic...I think you should tell Pearl you don't want to see Nick Mikaelson again. He is one of my former clients. He's...weird. He get's really attached, wants to see you all the time. It's like, it was too much. I don't want you to get in too deep with him, like I did."

Caroline thinks Kat is telling her she broke the rules and slept with him, and she regrets it. Caroline can see why. Nick is a very rich businessman in his mid-thirties, originally from England, so he has a very sexy accent. He is suave and confident, and he knows that he's a handsome man, but Caroline is too smart to be seduced by him. Still, she wants to show Katherine she's willing to compromise, so she shrugs, "I guess I could tell her the date didn't go well? I mean, we only went out once, he won't care if he gets someone else next time, right?"

"I hope not."

* * *

**_Please, please review. Your comments truly inspire me, and I want to know what you guys think. Do you think Katherine will really stay away from Stefan? Will Nick Mikaelson let Caroline drop him from her client list so easily? We will see next chapter...But I'd love to hear what you guys want to happen:)_**

**_-MissCarolineForbes_**


	3. Chapter 3 Business is Business

**The Only Exception**

**3: Business is Business**

**.**

"I'm sorry, Caroline," Miss Pearl states unsympathetically, "But Mister Mikaelson requested _you_, and he's willing to pay _double._ I can't refuse that offer, especially without a legitimate reason..." She stares the younger blonde down with serious eyes, waiting for her to spill the beans on why she suddenly wants to refuse her client a date.

"I told you," Caroline says guiltily, avoiding her boss' stare by gazing down at her knees. There is a hole forming in the knee of her favorite jeans, and she's a little disappointed. It's distracting for a moment. Then she repeats her earlier excuse, "He...made me uncomfortable."

Pearl sighs in frustration. "Does this have anything to do with Katherine?"

Caroline's eyes jump up to meet Pearl's in surprise, "What? No...no, why would you think that?" She replies far too quickly to appear completely innocent.

"Caroline," Miss Pearl says pointedly, "I like you, but you do realize I'm running a business here, right? I need you to be honest with me. What happened with Nick Mikaelson? If none of the rules were broken during your date, and Nick enjoyed it, then you need to accept his request for a second date."

After a few moments of silence, during which Caroline considered her options and chose the wisest one, the blonde finally admits, "Katherine told me he was her former client, and she warned me not to keep seeing him. She said he practically stalked her, that he was obsessed. She doesn't want the same thing to happen to me."

Pearl leans back in her chair, closing her eyes for a second and shaking her head just barely from side to side. When she opens her eyes again she takes a deep, calming breath. "I can assure you, that is not what happened. If Mister Mikaelson were harrassing or stalking my girls, I would have stopped doing business with him years ago. I had the situation between him and Katherine investigated, and while I can't tell you the details, I know for a fact Nick Mikaelson did nothing wrong. I chose to keep Katherine as an employee only because she has the biggest client list, and she brings in the most money. That was her first and only incident, besides pulling clients away from other girls, but that's not really something I can prevent. A man wants what a man wants. Katherine happens to possess a certain quality they are all drawn to...like a moth to the flame." Pearl seems bitter about this fact, but she shakes it off. "Anyways, I don't know why Katherine would tell you that; seems to me she's just upset you've been given her old client. Here's my advice to you: Don't talk to Katherine about Shameless Girls business. She doesn't need to know who your clients are. Okay?"

Caroline nods wordlessly. She doesn't know what to say. Miss Pearl just told her Katherine lied to her about the whole Nick Mikaelson situation. Her really good friend, her _only _good friend in NYC, and now she finds out she's a manipulative liar? But Katherine is so...fun, charming, sassy...she's drop dead gorgeous but she still took Caroline under her wing and introduced her to her friends and showed her around New York. How is she supposed to confront Katherine about lying to her? Is she supposed to just pretend she took Katherine's advice, while really seeing Nick Mikaelson, and go on acting like they're friends like before? How can she trust her?

"Are you all right?" Miss Pearl asks with concern, placing her hand on Caroline's shoulder as the girl has grown pale.

Caroline shakes her head slowly, "I just...I can't believe she lied to me. I thought we were closer than that. And I can't even really say anything to her about it, because it'll make the whole situation even worse. I'm not really good at pretending I'm not angry when I am. I don't know what to do."

"I'm sorry, Care," Miss Pearl says quietly, "I know Kat comes off as the fun, cool girl, and she's really quite the actress, but she's a selfish girl. Katherine comes first, _always_. Even if you are her best friend, if she thinks you have something she wants, she'll do anything to get it. You can't trust Katherine Pierce."

**.**

After the talk with Miss Pearl on Sunday night, Caroline agreed to see Nick Mikaelson another time. Miss Pearl scheduled her a date for Friday evening, since she'd be working the bar every other night until then. Monday morning, Caroline met Stefan for coffee before he went to work. She learned he wakes up at 4:30 every morning to start his day, and he learned that most nights she doesn't even get to bed until around then. That night, she'd gotten home around 1AM, which was early but an exception since Pearl let her go home way before her scheduled shift ended, so she got about four hours of sleep before she woke up to meet Stefan. He didn't mention anything about his awkward departure from the Central Park Zoo on Saturday, and Caroline was glad for that. They tossed around ideas about what to tell his family when they ask how the two of them met, but they couldn't come to a decision. Stefan bought Caroline a breakfast sandwich and she ate it while walking with him the remaining two blocks to the building where he works. She left him feeling happy, despite being exhausted from so little sleep. Being Stefan Salvatore's fake girlfriend was kind of fun.

On Tuesday night, Caroline has to face Katherine again for the first time since the meeting with Pearl, and she was really nervous she was going to screw up and let it slip that she knew Katherine is really a lying snake. But she can't. She has to keep that to herself, and continue pretending to be friends with a girl who will more than likely stab her in the back at some point during their so-called 'friendship'. Thankfully, since both girls are working, Caroline can keep her focus on work and not on how upset with the brunette vixen serving tables across the bar she is.

Caroline tries to avoid Katherine for as long as possible, but she should have known she wouldn't be able to keep her away all night.

"Hey Care," Katherine greets with a sickly sweet smile while Caroline is hovering near the bar waiting for Anna to mix her two cocktails for table twenty-three. "I feel like I haven't seen you in days. Where have you been?"

"I've been working," Caroline answers shortly, "Yesterday and Sunday I was here almost all day. I don't have a day off until Friday." And even Friday, she's got a date with Nick Mikaelson, so she's still technically working a few hours. She figured she should get in as many hours at Shameless Bar as she can since she'll be going with Stefan to Mystic Falls in about a week and a half.

"That blows," Katherine says with a dramatic sigh, "I was hoping we could go shopping tomorrow, but I have a day-date and by the time I'm done, you'll be here. Want to do breakfast instead?"

"Um..." Caroline scrambles for some kind of excuse so she can say no, but thinks of nothing, "I guess I can probably do that. What time do you think?"

"9:30 or 10?" Katherine guesses. "I have to meet Trevor at 11, so that should give us enough time."

Anna passes Caroline the small tray containing her two requested drinks, and Caroline nods in thanks before heading back to her table. She calls over her shoulder, "Sounds good!" to Katherine and then doesn't see her for the rest of the night.

Until she is getting ready to leave, that is.

Caroline finished wiping down the tables in her section and was helping Rose carry the remaining dirty dishes to the back to load up the dishwasher when she caught Katherine doing something suspicious...Right inside of the storage room is a small section of cubby-sized lockers where the girls keep their purses and keys locked up during their shift. Caroline's locker has had a broken lock since she started working at Shameless, though, and Katherine knows that. So when Caroline sees Kat in her locker, she doesn't think anything of it. But then she sees that Katherine has her phone in her hands, and she grows very wary.

"Kat, what are you doing?" Caroline demands, trying to sound curious rather than defensive.

"I couldn't find my phone," Katherine explains cooly, "I was just using yours to find mine."

"Oh." Caroline frowns, unsure whether or not to believe the other girl since she's a known liar and her eyes seem much too large and innocent to be actually truthful. Caroline decides to ask, "Did you find it?"

"Yup," Kat smiles, holding up her phone for Caroline to see. She hands Caroline back her pink Blackberry, commenting, "I think you may have missed a call from Stefan." She shrugs uncaringly before turning back towards the lockers and unwinding her lock to get to her purse. "Anyways, I'll call you in the morning, okay? We still on for breakfast?"

Distractedly, Caroline replies, "Yeah, yeah, we're still on."

"Good," Katherine smirks, "Later, bitch."

Once Katherine is gone, Caroline catches Rose staring out of the corner of her eye while she puts glasses from the bar into the big metal dishwasher. Rose looks like she is debating whether or not to put her two cents in, and then finally does. "Is Stefan one of your SG guys?"

At first, Caroline isn't sure what an 'SG' guy is, but then she quickly makes the connection that it must stand for 'Shameless Girl'. _Duh, Caroline, how blonde can you be? _Slowly, she nods, "Yeah, why?"

Rose shrugs one shoulder, deciding whether or not to even say anything to Caroline about it. She purses her lips in thought. "Look, I know you're friends with Katherine, but...I wouldn't be surprised if she just nabbed your date's number."

Caroline's eyes widen when she realizes there's a huge possibility Rose is 100% right about that. She quickly opens her Sent Messages box to see if Katherine sent a message to herself containing Stefan's phone number, but it's completely empty. "She deleted my text message history," Caroline voices quietly.

"She's going to try and steal your client," Rose says surely, "She did it to me, Caroline. She did it to all the girls here."

"I know," Caroline says, disheartened, "Miss Pearl warned me. She told me to keep my SG biz from Kat, but..." Caroline scrunches her face up in disappointment, "Saturday, I was at the zoo with Stefan, and she just happened to be nearby getting her hair done. She introduced herself to him, and she figured out that he was my client."

Closing up the dishwasher, Rose dries her hands and advices, "That doesn't sound good, Care. I guess all you can do now is confront her about it and tell her she better not steal your client. If you don't, she'll call, and unless you're positive he already likes you too much to give her a shot..." She trails off, shaking her head, her hazel-green eyes serious. She doesn't have to finish; they both know what she's trying to say. If Caroline doesn't stop her, Katherine is going to steal Stefan.

**.**

The morning after the phone incident, Caroline isn't surprised when Katherine doesn't call her for breakfast. She thinks that only further proves Rose's accusations against Katherine and that she is guilty. She sends a half-hearted text at 11:30AM asking Kat for a rain check, to which Katherine replies with a yes and a smilie face. Caroline doesn't even know what to make of Kat's behavior. It's totally unexpected, especially after their conversation on Saturday. Why would she promise Caroline they were too close for her to make moves on her clients if she didn't mean it at all? What is happening to their friendship? She's been a Shameless Girl for less than two weeks and already the best friendship she's gained in NYC is turning into a sham. What if her recent career venture was a bad idea? Maybe she should just quit...but she promised Stefan she would help him out and she doesn't want to let him down.

Thursday evening, about an hour into her shift at Shameless Bar, Caroline is surprised to find that her next customer is Stefan. He is seated by himself, dressed in a navy blue business suit with a gray tie, and looking like he feels a bit uncomfortable. Caroline falters for a moment when she sees him because she was so not expecting him to be here, but she quickly recovers with a smile.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" She asks curiously.

Stefan's face remains more on the serious side when he replies, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

_Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good. _Caroline thinks to herself, looking towards the bar where Miss Pearl is serving up drinks. "Uh...hang on; I just have to let Pearl know so someone can cover my tables for me."

Stefan nods and Caroline heads to the bar. "Miss Pearl," Caroline calls for her boss' attention. When Pearl's eyes are on her, Caroline lowers her voice and explains, using her large blue eyes for emphasis, "_Stefan_ is here. He wants to talk to me. I need someone to cover me for a few minutes."

"Of course," Miss Pearl agrees, "Take your time." She doesn't seem too worried to hear Stefan stopped by the bar, but she didn't see Stefan's face...Caroline did and she's worried.

When Caroline returns to Stefan's table, he stands and asks her to come outside, which makes her even more anxious about the impending conversation. Did Katherine call him? _Oh God, she did! _Did he decide he wants Katherine to be his wedding date instead? _Oh no...he might have. _Caroline braces herself for the imense disappointment that she's just not good enough. But she already knew that, right? She never had a chance with Stefan Salvatore, not even as a fake girlfriend.

Getting right to the point, Stefan explains, "I got a call from your friend; Katherine? I didn't know she was one of Pearl's girls too." Caroline nods, even though he didn't need the confirmation. "Well...she seems to think you can't handle this job. At least, not professionally."

"What do you mean?" Caroline asks, thoroughly confused.

"She said," Stefan continues, looking more and more like he doesn't want to say what he's about to, "that you, uh, you were becoming a bit obsessed...with me. She said you won't take on any more clients?" He shrugs and looks to Caroline for an answer.

She almost wants to laugh, that is how ridiculous it all sounds to her. "What?" She sighs, disbelieving Katherine would use that bullshit on Stefan too. First, Nick Mikaelson was 'obsessed' with Kat, when he really wasn't. And now Kat told Stefan _Caroline _is obsessed with him. What's next? "Look, Stefan, that is completely untrue. Katherine has a bad reputation for trying to scare clients away from girls so she can take them for themselves."

Stefan seems a little skeptical, "So you do have other clients then, or...?"

"I have one other client besides you," Caroline supplies honestly, wanting him to believe her and not Katherine's silly lies, "And I have been working way too many hours here to be seeing anyone else right now. I might be new at this, but I'm not in over my head. I mean, do you think I can't handle this?"

"No, not at all," Stefan assures her, clarifying, "I just wanted to make sure you knew that this was strictly business. There's never going to be anything more between you and me."

He says it nicely, and Caroline knows it's the truth, so she's surprised to find the statement stings a little. "Of course not. I would never think otherwise." To lighten the situation she jokes, "Although I did think we would maybe be _friends_, but it's good to know you don't feel the same. It's okay, my feelings aren't hurt." She pretends to pout and is glad to hear him laugh at her antics.

"I think we can definitely be friends," Stefan says, and then remembers there was more to the conversation with Katherine he wanted to tell her. "I told Katherine I am not in need of her services...I already informed my family I'd be bringing my girlfriend _Caroline_ to the wedding."

Caroline immediately felt an immense sense of relief wave through her. Katherine didn't manage to steal Stefan from her. For once, it worked out in her favor. Stefan chose _her. _Of course, it was only to be his fake girlfriend, but hey, like she said before: being Stefan Salvatore's fake girlfriend is not such a bad gig. She could definitely do much, much worse. And it was about time someone proved to Katherine that she isn't the best of the best. There are still men out there who prefer class over brunt sexuality. Well, who knows if that's the reason Stefan chose to stick with Caroline? She's only glad he did.

**.**

"What time did you say we're leaving Saturday morning?" Caroline asks Stefan while out to dinner Saturday night. Less than one week now until the two of them will be in Mystic Falls, and now that Caroline doesn't have to worry about Katherine stealing Stefan from her, she's kind of excited. She's never actually been to Virginia, so it really will be like a vacation to her. One she is getting paid three-thousand dollars to go on, instead of paying that much to _go._ "And...how long does it take to get there?"

"Between five-thirty and six," Stefan replies, explaining, "I want to get there by twelve since I was just told there's an agenda for the weekend." Caroline can see he's not looking forward to that, but he doesn't really have a choice. "It takes about six, six and a half hours to get there, depending on traffic. You don't have to work Friday, do you?"

"Just for a few hours," Caroline answers, waving her hand for him to not worry about it. She doesn't have work at the bar, just dinner with Nick Mikaelson. They had their second date last night, and he made sure to ask Caroline for another date the following week before dinner was over. He is a charming man, but a bit too extravagant and flirtatious for Caroline's taste. She's not figured out how to act around him yet. He intimidates her, and she doesn't know why he seems to like her so much.

"Well, I'll pick you up at six," Stefan compromises.

"Sounds good to me," Caroline grins. "So, what does your week look like? Because we still have to go over what I need to bring in terms of clothing, and I'm totally freaking out. Maybe you could, I don't know, come to my place and pick out what you like? I know that sounds...a little strange, but since moving to New York, I've accumulated a _lot _of clothes. And since I've never been to Virginia, I don't know what they wear, and I don't want to be out of place." She hopes Stefan finds the wardrobe just as important as she does, because it is a key factor in how his family will perceive his new girlfriend's personality. Looks and wardrobe are the first things people see!

"I can probably do that," Stefan agrees after careful consideration, "But I think the only time I'm available is tomorrow. Work is going to be Hell this week since I have to prepare everything for next week, so I can't guarantee I'll have time after work at all."

"Tomorrow I have to work at one," Caroline informs her date, "But if you want to come earlier in the morning, that would be fine. I can make breakfast?" She raises her eyebrows hopefully, wondering internally if Stefan is thinking about Katherine's words right now and re-thinking the possibility of her being obsessed with him. She almost wants to take back the breakfast offer, but she can't. She already put it out there and she can't exactly make him forget she asked.

Thankfully, Stefan nods, "Actually, breakfast sounds great. I haven't had someone make me breakfast in a...long time." He frowns, and Caroline is sure he's thinking about Elena. She hasn't known him too long, but she's already figured out the look he gets on his face when thinking of his ex-girlfriend. She also doesn't know the whole story, but Caroline hopes Stefan will eventually tell her what happened with him and Elena, why they broke up and how she ended up with Damon. "I'll be there around ten, so you can sleep a little." He smiles, and Caroline smiles back. She still thinks his smile, though rare, is one-hundred percent worth it. If only he'd smile all the time. Hopefully next week she can help bring a smile to his face while in a horrible and awkward situation.

"Well, it's the least I can do for making you put together my outfits," Caroline says with a giggle. "Do you like apple-cinnamon pancakes? Those are my specialty. And I might have some bacon," She adds temptingly.

"That sounds delicious."

"I will see you at ten then," Caroline confirms.

"Okay." Stefan smiles again, and Caroline is shocked. _Another smile? Tonight is my lucky night. _"We should really figure out that 'how we met' story, since we'll have some more time."

"Yeah, definitely. I actually wrote down some ideas." She holds in a smile but her blue eyes are twinkling mischievously.

"Can't wait to hear them."

* * *

**_Next Chapter: Stefan and Caroline have breakfast, Katherine and Caroline finally talk about her attempt to steal Stefan, and Stef and Care leave for Mystic Falls on Saturday morning..._**

**_Thanks so much for your reviews and follows thus far! I really appreciate the comments you've left me, and I'm glad you like the story so far:)_**

**_Please Review! :)_**

**_Also, check out my other Steroline story: Tangled: I Want You To Stay_**

**_-MissCarolineForbes_**


	4. Chapter 4 Last Minute Details

**The Only Exception**

**4: Last Minute Details**

**.**

Caroline wakes up Sunday morning just before nine, feeling anxiously excited for the breakfast date with Stefan. This will be their eighth get-together; she can't exactly call it their eighth _date_ because they weren't all dates. _Officially_, Caroline would say they've been on four dates, three being dinner-dates and the fourth their outing to the Central Park Zoo. She's not sure if this should also be considered a date, but she's hoping she'll have a clue after it's all over. It would be easier if she and Stefan had a normal Shameless Girl/Client relationship, but they don't. Normally, any time a Shameless Girl gets together with her client he is paying for her time, and Miss Pearl schedules the time and ensures the SG gets the money she deserves. So far, the only on-the-clock Shameless Girl dates Caroline has been on with Stefan have been the dinner-dates, and all the other time spent together has been off-the-clock. Stefan is already paying Caroline three-grand for the trip next week, so she thinks that he's deserving of some free-time with herself. Besides, they have to get to know each other somehow, and it doesn't seem fair to make Stefan pay her for something she's been enjoying so much.

Caroline takes a quick shower and dresses in a pair of comfortable worn-out jeans and a hot pink, off-the-shoulder Pink brand T-shirt with a white tank top underneath. If this were an actual date, she would have worried much more about her outfit selection, but she really wants to prove to Stefan that she's professional and business-like. All the same, she spends twenty minutes drying and straightening her hair, and applying just enough make-up to her face to seem naturally flawless. After all, none of Pearl's Shameless Girls are ever caught out with a client looking less than their best, and Caroline wants Miss Pearl to be proud of her. Since Stefan will be in her bedroom, she takes the time to make her bed, something she _never_ does on a normal morning, and tidy up so the room is neater. Then, she proceeds to her small kitchen, where she starts up the coffee maker and pulls ingredients out of the cabinets to make the batter for her special apple-cinnamon pancakes.

Promptly at ten, Stefan arrives, and Caroline buzzes him into the building and waits by the door to her apartment to let him inside. She wonders if he's ever really been late for something a day in his life, and she concludes that he probably hasn't. Even the night of their first date, he apologized for being late, but he was actually right on time; it was Caroline who arrived ten minutes early and ordered a much-needed alcoholic beverage before his arrival. This morning, Caroline is thankful for his punctuality, because the coffee has just finished brewing, the bacon is sizzling on the stove, and she is already warming up the frying pan for the pancakes.

At the sound of the knock, Caroline opens the door with a big smile spreading across her face as she greets, "Hey, good morning! Come on in; I just finished making some coffee."

"Good morning," Stefan returns politely, "Thanks." He steps inside, his green eyes casually examining the sight of Caroline's open living room/dining room/kitchen set-up. The apartment was advertised as a studio, but Caroline was pleasantly surprised to find it was recently remodeled, so her bedroom has walls and a door. It's a definite plus to the apartment, because having a completely open studio-apartment wasn't so appealing to Caroline after seeing one first-hand. Caroline is proud of the little home she's made for herself in the past six months, and she hopes Stefan appreciates her knack for interior design. She painted and put together everything in the apartment, so she's pretty proud of herself. "This is a nice place. I actually checked out an apartment on this street back when I first moved here."

"Really?" Caroline asks in surprise. "What did it look like?" Most of the apartments in the East Village brag about their 'great location' and their 'free amenities', but that just means there's a subway entrance and a chinese food joint a block away and there's a possibility of free internet from the neighbor above, if you can hack into it, that is. Caroline had always thought all parts of NYC were glamorous, but she learned pretty quick that is not the case. Her eyes were opened after a week of living in the East Village to what the real New York City is like. She loves it anyways. "I toured about six rat and roach infested apartments before discovering this gem. I am so grateful to have been in the right place at the right time, for once. This place is perfect; even the bathroom was re-modeled before I moved in. Everything is all-new, and _clean_. That was the deal-breaker for me. I mean, who wants to move into an apartment with a filthy bathroom or a broken shower?"

Caroline realizes she asked Stefan a question, and then rudely continued to talk about herself. She sends an apologetic smile in Stefan's direction, and hopes he doesn't mind too much that she talks a lot. She tends to the bacon on the stove while Stefan tells her his experience with apartment hunting in New York City. He also toured some pretty awful places, before he settled on a brand-new luxury apartment building located in Downtown, just minutes from the building where he works. He suggests she stop over at some point this week, to see what it looks like, since his 'girlfriend' should probably be able to say she's been in her 'boyfriend's' apartment at least once. Caroline has to giggle at that, but she confirms that sounds like a good idea to her, and they decide she'll make a brief visit to his apartment on Friday afternoon before her date with Nick Mikaelson.

Stefan pours a cup of coffee for himself, and asks Caroline how she likes hers so that he can pour her some as well. She starts on the pancakes, since the pan is hot and ready, and the bacon is almost done. She teases Stefan that he technically shouldn't be watching her make these pancakes because they contain her 'secret recipe', which is that she puts cinnamon in the batter _and_ sprinkles a cinnamon-sugar mixture on top of the pancakes while they're cooking, but she says she'll make an exception just this once and allow Stefan to watch her routine. Stefan seems content to sit at the tiny kitchen table and observe as Caroline methodically places diced-up pieces of apple slices on the pancakes bubbling in the pan before she flips them over.

While the other side cooks, Caroline smiles over at Stefan and brings up one of the topics that has been on her mind since their dinner-date last night, "So, how long have we been a couple?" She doesn't elaborate that she means when people at the wedding ask, how long they have been a 'couple', because Stefan already knows that's what she means. "Because, I was thinking about it and since I've only been here a little over six months, that doesn't give us a big window. If we say six months that seems like we rushed into things, but if we say three, that almost seems insignificant. I was thinking…four months? It's long enough to be taken seriously, but short-term enough to seem like we're still getting to know each other. What do you think?" Caroline was so fixated on making sure the pancakes were cooking evenly, she didn't realize she was babbling, _yet again_, and giving Stefan no time to respond. Not to mention, she sounds totally neurotic, which makes her angry; Katherine called her neurotic, and as much as Caroline would like her ex-best-friend to be wrong, she's completely right!

Stefan has a way of surprising Caroline, though. Instead of being overwhelmed by her over-analytical nonsense about the length of their non-existent relationship, he is grateful. "Four months? Yeah, that sounds about right. I hadn't even thought about that." He smiles fondly at the blonde, who doesn't see because her back is turned as she faces the stove, yet again feeling glad he reached out to Pearl for a date. He was really second-guessing his decision to book a Shameless Girl as his date to Damon and Elena's wedding, especially after the weird conversation with Katherine, but after clearing things up with Caroline he's really happy with his decision to stick with her. Caroline is exactly what he was looking for. "Thanks for being more on top of the details than I am…"

Caroline looks over her shoulder and smiles at him as she reminds, "It _is _my job." She turns back to the stove so she can scoop three perfect pancakes from the pan onto a clean plate. She adds a few slices of crispy bacon, which were wrapped up in a paper towel to get rid of the grease, and places it on the table in front of Stefan. Before letting him dig in, she holds up two bottles of syrup and queries, "Do you prefer Vermont's _real_ maple syrup or good ole' Aunt Jemima's?"

"I'll go with the _real_ maple," Stefan answers, mocking the superior tone Caroline used when mentioning the Vermont syrup. He takes the container from her hand, commenting, "Something tells me you think this kind is better."

Caroline shrugs before admitting, "Well, not all the time, but for these particular pancakes, I think maple syrup is like the icing on the cake. It makes it so much better." She waits while Stefan butters up his pancakes and pours syrup on top. She watches as he takes a bite, and is delighted to see that he likes the pancakes. She doesn't need to ask, because she can see it in the way his green eyes roll up into his head and a smile appears on his lips. That is the face of a man in pancake heaven. She pours some more batter onto the hot frying pan so she can finish up and sit down to eat with Stefan. They have more fake relationship details to go over.

"These might be the best pancakes I've ever had," Stefan compliments as Caroline sits down across from him at her kitchen table and drizzles syrup over her plate of food.

Caroline beams, "Thanks. I'm so glad you like them." After a beat, her brain takes off in another direction, "Oh, I was thinking...and I _think_ I want to be a third grade teacher at one of those fancy private schools. Third grade seems like a good year, you know? Do you think that's too hard to believe? Do I look like someone who could work at posh New York City private school in the Upper East Side? Maybe that's a stupid idea."

"No," Stefan disagrees with that last statement, "It _is _a good idea. You shouldn't doubt yourself, Caroline. You look like a woman who could do anything she wants to. If you want to teach third grade at some private school, like Winston Prep Elementary, I say: Go for it." He adds, "And I don't just mean for this wedding charade; I mean, really go for it. You could be a teacher if you wanted."

Caroline giggles nervously, unsure why Stefan thinks so highly of her and why it makes her giddy to know he does. She admits, "I...don't really know what I want." She stares seriously at Stefan and then starts to feel self-conscious of her idiotic response, so she covers it up. "What was that you said, though? Winston Prep? Do you think anyone would like, I don't know, make sure that I really do teach there? I mean, if I say 'I'm Miss Forbes and I teach third grade at Winston Prep Elementary', is there anyone in your family who can prove I don't?"

"No," Stefan chuckles, "They're not going to go home and do a background check on you, if that's what you're asking, or hook you up to a lie detector test. Did you just watch Meet the Parents, or something?"

Caroline laughs too, "No, no, but I was just making sure. I mean, you never know..." She shrugs, her cheeks turning pink with embarrassment.

Stefan recalls, "Well, _you're _the Sherriff's daughter, right?" Caroline nods, surprised he remembered that she mentioned her mom is the local Sherriff in Warwick, MA; she told him that the first day they met two weeks ago. He has a really good memory. "So I guess it's an appropriate question."

"Yes," Caroline validates teasingly, "It was."

After they've both finished their breakfast, Caroline piles the plates into the sink to do later and then leads Stefan to her bedroom. A strange thought crosses her mind as she opens the door: _Stefan is the first guy to ever enter my bedroom in NYC...and we're not even going to have sex. I wonder if he feels strange going into a woman's bedroom to look at clothes and not for sex. _She tries to shake away that slight disappointment she feels when she realizes Stefan probably isn't thinking about her that way, because he knows that the Number One Rule of Shameless Girls is No Sex. It's quite clear. Caroline wonders why it can't also be a rule that all SG clients should be old, fat, and bald so that it prevents any SG of wanting to break the Number One Rule. Caroline _also _wonders why Stefan is the first man she's met in NYC that she's been so physically attracted to when he's completely, one-hundred percent off-limits. She can want him...but she'll never have him. So he was wrong then, about her being a woman who can _do_ anything she wants to. Oh God, she has got to get her mind out of gutter!

"Okay, now don't be overwhelmed," Caroline cautions Stefan as they approach the double-doors of her closet, "I have a _lot _of clothes." She had been crossing her fingers for an apartment with a walk-in closet, but that was like wishing for a free puppy when she signed her lease; _never going to happen_. She had to make do with the double-wide closet instead, and, after some DIY-improvements by Caroline herself, she managed. She opens the doors; both have full-length mirrors nailed to the inside so she can see her outfits from the front and the back at the same time. Caroline compartmentalized her entire wardrobe, practically, to fit in this closet, so of course she has a system. This is why Kat calls her obsessive-compulsive; her clothes are color coordinated within each sub-category: dresses, skirts, sweaters, dressy shirts, T-shirts, etc. Above her hanging clothes are shelves she built herself to display her high heeled shoes, sandals, and purses. On the floor is a similar system, but for her boots, sneakers, and a special shelf for jeans. She thinks it shows off her organizational skills, but Kat insists Caroline is 'seriously obsessive-compulsive about clothes, and it's weird'. Care tries to avoid thinking of Kat's opinions of her at the moment.

"Whoa," Stefan can't hold back his laughter, but he does apologize, "I'm sorry. It's just...if all of _this_," he gestures to the clothes in the closet, "is in here, then what is in _that?_" He points to the giant white dresser with big black knobs on each of its five large drawers.

Caroline was hoping he wouldn't notice that, but she calmly explains, "Well, there's more jeans in that drawer, sweatshirts and, like, work-out clothes in that one," Caroline points out each drawer as she continues, "Tank tops and more T-shirts, pajamas, and socks and _things._" She shakes her head and her inability to say 'bras and panties' around Stefan. She quickly recovers, "But I can pick out all of those myself." She winks playfully and directs him back to the closet. "I'll show you what I was thinking."

"Okay, good," Stefan nods, "I have no idea where to start with all of this."

Caroline laughs as she deftly sifts through her clothes, pulling some out to critique. "Well, you said there's a whole agenda for the week, right? I could probably plan better if I know what the occasion is. Besides the wedding, of course."

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that," Stefan replies sheepishly, "But I suppose it would be easier if you knew what we were doing. I want to apologize in advance for my family. They are not usually so extravagant and..._crazy_, but they've really out-done themselves this time."

"Stefan," Caroline cuts in before he recites the week's schedule to her, "You don't have to apologize. I'm coming with you no matter what, so don't hold back on the details, okay? Besides, what you find torture is probably fun for me; I'm a girl, remember?"

"You say that now," Stefan warns, "but you just might change your mind. Here's what I know: Saturday evening is the fair on the town green, which is apparently an obligation this year...Sunday is church, followed by brunch, and then the rest of the day will be spent at my parents' house, where my whole family and probably the Gilberts will be staying for the week, so that will be _fun_." He looks more miserable with each event he lists off to Caroline, and she almost wants to tell him to stop, but she needs to know. "My mom was vague about the plans for Monday through Thursday, but Thursday night is the bachelor and bachelorette parties, which are separate, and you a_re_ invited to Elena's." Caroline's blue eyes widen slightly at that revelation. Stefan concludes quickly, "Friday is the wedding rehearsal and dinner, Saturday is the wedding, and the reception will probably last all night, but we will be leaving on Sunday no later than noon."

Caroline tries to think of something she can say to cheer Stefan up about the situation, but she doesn't think anything starting with 'Look on the bright side...' is going to make him feel any better. "Well, I still think most of that sounds nice. There must be someone you're looking forward to going home to see," She insists as she pulls out a few hangers now that she knows what will match the events she and Stefan must attend.

"Well, yeah," Stefan admits, "My friend Lexi. She lives in Florida, but she's coming up for the week, too. I haven't seen her in about a year, not since she visited me here, so it will be good to see her."

Caroline lays the outfits on her bed and tells him, "Okay, so you've got one friend you're happy to see. That's something." At least he hadn't said, 'No, I hate everyone in Mystic Falls, and when I left I promised myself I'd never go back, but now I'm breaking that promise'. "What do you think of these? Appropriate for family-friendly social gatherings?"

Stefan and Caroline look over her clothing options and start to discuss the 'how we met' story for their fake relationship. For some reason, they still have an easier time deciding on outfits than they do on a realistic story of how they met. Stefan suggests Caroline simply pack extra clothes, and he points out the ones he likes the best. She sets aside a few floral printed sundresses with matching cardigan sweaters, a fancy royal blue party dress with ruffled skirt, a rich red mini dress with one draping shoulder, an empire waist-line and a diamond accented broach pinned to the hip. She also picks out a few of her favorite outfits, and puts all of those in a special section of her closet specifically for the outfits to be packed for the trip to Mystic Falls.

"It's almost twelve-thirty, Caroline," Stefan informs his blonde companion, "Don't you have to work at one?"

"Oh shit," Caroline jumps up, "Yeah, I do. I have to change, and then I really have to go. I'm sorry, I totally lost track of time."

"It's fine, so did I," Stefan reassures her. "I can give you a ride, if you want? The bar is on the way to my apartment anyways."

"Are you sure?" Caroline wonders.

"I am," Stefan insists with a smile, which she can't say no to, so she agrees to let him wait around and give her a ride.

At Shameless Bar, Caroline hops out of Stefan's sleek black car and grins, "Thank you so much, Stefan. I am so glad I can stop worrying about what to wear next week, and I guess we'll have to figure out that 'how we met' story a different day, huh?"

"Yeah, don't worry, we'll figure it out," Stefan says, "Thank _you _for breakfast. I'll call you?"

Caroline nods and then waves as her handsome fake-boyfriend drives off down Sixth Ave. She runs into Shameless, waving hello to Rose and Anna, and feeling relieved she doesn't see Katherine. Maybe Miss Pearl purposely scheduled Kat on her off-days so she wouldn't have to see her for the week? That seems unlikely, but she doesn't put it past Pearl because the woman knows the two former friends haven't spoken in almost a week. Whatever the reason is, Caroline is grateful for the time apart from the conniving Katherine Pierce. She still doesn't know what to do or say when she sees her again. It is infuriating to Caroline that Katherine pretty much ruined their friendship just for the possibility of a paid-date with a more-handsome-than-usual SG client. If Katherine had simply accepted Stefan was Caroline's right away, then she could be helping her blonde friend right now, instead of avoiding her like the plague. Caroline could have really used Katherine's advice right now about the upcoming trip to Mystic Falls, but she has no one to go to. No one but Miss Pearl, and Caroline feels silly unloading all her problems on the busy woman.

"Hey Care," Rose greets with a friendly smile, "Oh, Miss Pearl said to stop in her office before you start your shift."

"Okay, thanks," Caroline replies as she changes directions and heads towards the back of the bar. Miss Pearl's office door is closed, so Caroline knocks and waits for Pearl to invite her in. When she opens the door, she is shocked to see not only Miss Pearl, but Katherine. "Oh, I'm sorry…Rose said you wanted to see me?" She eyes Katherine suspiciously, but the brunette sends her a small reassuring smile. That only confuses Caroline more. _What game is Katherine playing today?_

"Yes, yes, Caroline, come on in and have a seat," Pearl suggests casually, and she waits for the blonde to step inside and shut the door before she continues to speak. "Katherine and I were just having a little chat, and I thought it'd be good to get you in here, too." Miss Pearl turns her dark eyes to Katherine expectantly.

The curvy brunette turns to the friend she recently betrayed and says, with much difficulty, "Care, I'm…_sorry." _She puffs out a little sigh of relief when she manages to get the words out. "I shouldn't have tried to go after Stefan. It was a real bitch move and I honestly don't know why I couldn't let it go without a fight. After I saw you two together at the Zoo, I…I just couldn't stop thinking about how unfair it was that you got this amazingly gorgeous man on your first date. I don't do well with jealousy; it really brings out the worst in me." She has the decency to look semi-ashamed of herself when she mentions, "I shouldn't have taken Stefan's number from you, or called him, or said any of the stupid things I said to him. Honestly, as hard as it was to accept his rejection, I'm glad he did choose you. So if you can forgive me, I really want to help you out. And I swear, on my grandmother's grave, I will _never _interfere with your SG clients again." Katherine chews on her plump bottom lip, her big brown eyes wide and hopeful as she waits for Caroline's response.

Caroline can't help but be suspicious of the other young woman; she already broke one promise to not steal her client, so what if she does it again? Care looks to Miss Pearl, and the older woman nods encouragingly. Clearly Miss Pearl has been trying to help mend Kat and Care's relationship, and if she has faith in Katherine then Caroline should have some faith as well. Slowly, Caroline says, "Well…at least you admitted you were a giant **bitch **when you did what you did. That's totally and completely true, so I'll give you that. And it's nice to hear you apologize, but it still hurts that you almost ruined my credibility with Stefan in an attempt to steal him away. Do you know how embarrassing it was to have him show up in the middle of my shift here last Thursday night and have to explain to him that I'm not, in fact, _obsessed_ with him? Thankfully, he actually listened to me and gave me another chance. If he hadn't though, I hope you realize an apology would not have been enough. You have to stop going behind everyone's backs and trying to take their men. There's no excuse, Kat; you just have to stop. If you promise not to steal another SG guy from his girl, then I think I can forgive you, but you have to mean it."

Katherine frowns in annoyance, but after thinking it over, she concludes, "Fine. I won't do it anymore." She looks to Pearl, "But you better make sure the next handsome man who asks for a date ends up with _me_, because if I have to add another bald fattie to my dating schedule, I'm going to hang myself."

"That's a bit melodramatic, don't you think?" Caroline teases.

"I think that statement is _rich_ coming from you, Miss Drama-Queen Forbes." Kat teases back, a smirk playing on the corner of her lips.

Miss Pearl claps her hands together and comments with a smile, "There! That wasn't so hard, was it? Now that you two have made up, I think it's time to get back to work. What do you say?" Katherine and Caroline nod. "Oh, and Kat, remember what you promised: no more problems. You are good for business, but it's not good for business if all the men coming in the door ask for _you. _There's not enough Katherine Pierce to go around; you have to share a little, all right?"

Katherine chuckles and says jokingly, "Oh, all right, Miss Pearl. If you insist…" She links her arm through Caroline's as she tugs her out the door and into the storage room. She easily strikes up a conversation now that she has her friend back by her side, "I seriously cannot believe you are going on a week-long trip with Stefan, and you didn't even tell me! I mean, that is a big deal. I've done weekend trips before, but never a whole week. I hope you're prepared for it, but I can help if you're not."

It seems strange to Caroline to accept Katherine's advice when just this morning she had concluded that she and Katherine were probably never going to speak again as she couldn't trust the girl. Pearl was the one who told Care that Kat is not to be trusted, but now she's encouraging her to accept the other girl's advice. She's really got nothing to lose, though. Stefan already assured her he'd be taking no one but her to the wedding, and Miss Pearl is witness to all the promises Katherine made this afternoon. So, after shoving their belongings into their lockers, Caroline admits to Katherine, "We've been getting together a lot to get to know each other, and plan out our back story and stuff, but…I guess I do still have some questions. I mean, I have to play the part of his girlfriend for the _whole week_. We'll be staying with his family, in their home, and seeing them everyday. What if I mess up? What if they don't believe I'm really his girlfriend?"

Katherine puts an end to Caroline's rambling by placing both hands on her shoulders and suggesting, "Relax. One thing at a time, and no offense, but you're totally worrying about the wrong things. His family will believe you are Stefan's girlfriend because he told them so, and they don't have any reason to think he's lying. They're never going to accuse you of being a fake-date from an escort service, trust me. What you should be worrying about more is if it's going to be awkward kissing him in front of his family. When I went on my first weekend trip, it was with Nick Mikaelson; he brought me to his family's Thanksgiving all the way out in California. He really took advantage of the PDA, kissing me every chance he got to avoid unwanted conversation from his parents. We'd already kissed before the trip though, so it wasn't too weird. Besides, I _love _kissing, and I can't see any reason for you to complain about you kissing Stefan so…have you kissed him yet?"

"What? No," Caroline answers quickly, a slight panic setting in. She'd thought about the kissing thing before, and she was going to ask Miss Pearl about it, since there are no rules against kissing, but she's been putting it off. Now Katherine is telling her that _of course _she'll be required to kiss Stefan; she's acting the part of his girlfriend of four months. What kind of man and woman who have been together four months haven't kissed? Caroline doesn't think there's too many of those kinds of couples out there. "Oh my God, I'm going to totally blow it."

Kat sucks her tongue against her teeth in an irritated fashion. "Caroline, please lose the virgin schoolgirl act. It's not that big of a deal. And don't even pretend you haven't thought about kissing Stefan, because there's no way it hasn't crossed your mind. You should be ecstatic. You get to spend the next week locking lips with one of NYC's most handsome bachelors. You are a lucky little slut."

Her tone is teasing, so Caroline isn't taking the whole 'virgin' or 'slut' thing seriously, and she also can't overlook the fact that Katherine is correct. Caroline has thought about kissing Stefan before, and more, but she already concluded that was not going to happen. He's supposed to be off-limits, but…_wow_. It is going to be nice stealing kisses from Stefan… "You're right. It's not a big deal. It's just kissing, not sex, so I need to just chill out. I probably should be happy I get to kiss Stefan. Wait, but does he know that?" She is suddenly anxious again at the thought of attempting to kiss Stefan and being shut down.

"I'm sure he knows, but you can always talk to Pearl about your concerns and she'll call him for you and explain so you don't have to have an uncomfortable conversation." Katherine suggests with a shrug.

Caroline and Katherine relieve Rose and Emily of waitressing duties, and Miss Pearl relieves Anna at the bar. Since it is Sunday afternoon, the bar is pretty slow, so Kat spends every free moment giving tips to Caroline. She brings up quite a few things that Caroline hadn't thought of, and the blonde is actually grateful the two made up when they did. If she hadn't talked to Katherine, she'd still be wondering about the kiss thing, she'd never have thought to ask Stefan if there are people or topics he'd like her to avoid on the trip, and she wouldn't have thought to suggest to Stefan that they take a picture of them as a couple to use for the background on their cell phones. Care thought that was an especially good suggestion, because what couple doesn't have a picture of their significant other on their phone? By the end of the night, Caroline feels ten times more confident in herself and prepared to take on the role of Stefan Salvatore's girlfriend.

**.**

"Well, Caroline, I want to thank you for another lovely evening," Nick Mikaelson comments politely as he takes his date by the hand and walks her towards the exit of the extremely expensive French restaurant where they had their dinner.

Caroline smiles demurely before replying, "Dinner was delicious. Thank you for inviting me." She turns her head and stifles a yawn in her free hand. Before dinner, Nick took Caroline dancing, and before that she had been at Stefan's apartment. It's been an unusually long Friday for her, and she is exhausted.

"Of course," Nick returns graciously, "You're an exquisite dance partner, love. I'd very much like to take you again. Perhaps we can go next Friday?"

"I'm sorry, Nick," Caroline gently informs her handsome blue eyed date, "I'm going out of town tomorrow, and I won't be back until next Sunday. Once I return I'll be free, though, and I would love to go dancing with you." Caroline smiles easily. It's true, she loves dancing, and Nick was a great partner, too. He's good-looking and charming, but he's also a complete flirt. Caroline is adapting to his personality, but she still sometimes feels out of her league when it comes to Nick Mikaelson. He is nothing like Stefan.

"You're going out of town for a whole week?" Nick repeats, not hiding his disappointment, "I'll miss you, sweetheart." He pulls her hand to his lips and places a kiss on it, his blue eyes never leaving hers as he does. "If you aren't too tired, perhaps we can have dinner together next Sunday night."

Caroline is sure she'll be tired, but she agrees, "If I'm not home too late, that sounds great." She shivers involuntarily as the cool night air makes contact with her skin. She's dressed in a knee-length, strapless cocktail dress, and it was so warm earlier that she didn't bring a sweater. She's beginning to regret that decision now.

Noticing her discomfort, Nick steps towards the road and puts out a hand to hail a cab for her. To Caroline, he queries, "May I call you while you are away?"

"Of course you can," Caroline agrees, remembering Miss Pearl's rule about regular SG customers getting access to their Girl's cell phone numbers. At first, she didn't like the idea, but with Stefan it's been easy, so she finds it simpler giving Nick her number.

Nick finally catches the attention of a vacant taxi cab, and he opens the back door for Caroline. "Here you go, love." Before allowing her to slide in, he catches her in his arms and pulls her in for a kiss. When he leans back, he whispers, "Have a safe trip, Caroline."

The way her name rolls off his tongue in that sexy British accent makes Caroline's head fuzzy, and she smiles, a dazed look in her eyes as she was not expecting him to kiss her. "Thank you, I will. Goodnight, Nick."

"Goodnight."

On the ride home, Caroline stares out the window at the buildings and the people they pass, but not really seeing them. She is lost in her thoughts. Tomorrow she'll be on her way to Mystic Falls, Virginia for Stefan's brother's wedding, and she'll be acting as Stefan's girlfriend the entire week. Part of her is excited for the whole charade to begin, but part of her is screaming that this is a really bad idea and she is not the type of girl who will be able to pull a lie this big off. Katherine's reassuring words come to mind, and that helps Caroline to remember that she is ready for this, and she can do this. She and Stefan have been preparing for three weeks now, and she will not blow it. They're going to be the cutest couple in attendance to Damon and Elena's wedding, and Caroline is going to make sure everybody knows it. When the week is through, Stefan's family will be asking him when he plans on getting married.

The cabbie gets Caroline home safely just around midnight, and Caroline hurries inside and up to her apartment. She changes from her cocktail dress to her pajamas, washes the makeup from her face, and climbs into bed. Before turning out the light, she checks her phone. She has a message from Stefan: _After you left my mom called, and I guess they planned a little beach trip, so be sure to pack a bathing suit. Sorry about the last minute changes. Get some sleep, and I'll be there at 6AM._

Caroline smiles and snuggles into her pillow further. She types back: _OK, I will pack my bikini, and don't worry about it. Goodnight. See you in the morn. _Then, she places her phone on her night stand, turns out the light, and closes her eyes. Tomorrow is a big day.

* * *

**_Thanks so much for Reading & Reviewing! This is the longest chapter so far, and I wanted to keep going, but I figured this was a good place to stop._**

**_Next Chapter: Caroline and Stefan's drive to Mystic Falls, family introductions, and the town fair. Won't that be fun?;)_**

**_Please Review and let me know what you think! What do you want to happen? I love to please. I wasn't going to include Nick Mikaelson in an actual scene at all, but since some of you were asking for a little Klaroline action, I threw it in there for you;) From here on out things will be focused mainly on Stefan & Care though. _**

**_Check out my other Steroline fic - Tangled: I Want You To Stay, which I'll be updating later today also;)_**

**_ALSO: Check out the poll on my profile page, and help me pick my next story. (Won't be starting on it until I finish one of this, but I have too many ideas and I really need help narrowing them down.) Thanks so much guys!_**

**_-MissCarolineForbes_**


	5. Chapter 5 Practice What You Preach

**Hey Everyone! **

**I am sincerely sorry for not updating in such a very long time, but I was honestly uninspired by TVD recently, I was getting very frustrated, and so I put off writing this until I felt I was back into it. I am really happy I finally finished this chapter so I could post for all of you awesome readers! I really hope you like it:)**

**-MissCarolineForbes**

* * *

**The Only Exception**

**5: Practice What You Preach**

**.**

"How much longer until we're in Mystic Falls?" Caroline asks, trying but failing to keep the slight whine out of her voice. She's never been on this long of a car-trip in her life, and even though Stefan assured her people drive much farther when on vacation, she's positive she'd rather fly in a plane than drive anywhere far and she's never even been on a plane. Besides, this is only the first time she's asked the classic 'Are We There Yet?' question, so she doesn't expect Stefan will be annoyed with her.

She wasn't wrong about that, Stefan wasn't annoyed. Actually, he laughed. He thought it was funny. Not only had they stopped two times, both at Caroline's insistence, but she slept for over three hours of the trip, so Stefan couldn't see what she was complaining about.

"What?" Caroline asks with a frown, although a smile is pulling at her lips simply to see Stefan laugh, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Stefan says, his expression amused. After a moment, he answers her first question, "We'll be in Mystic Falls within the hour. We've made really great time, even with the stops. Once we're in town, we'll be at my parents' in ten minutes."

"Great," Caroline sighs with relief. "Do you think we could stop somewhere so I can fix up my hair and make-up a little? I won't take long, I promise; five minutes. I just don't want to look like I woke up right before we got there when I meet your family. 'First impression's everything', and all that, you know?"

Stefan considers her request and replies, "Sure, we can do that." He understands her worry about looking the part. In a sense, he's doing the same thing, because he has to be someone else on this trip, too. He has to be pretend it's not going to kill him to watch Damon marry the only woman he's ever loved. He knows it's going to be hard, but for some reason he knows with Caroline by his side he can get through it. She's not going to let him down.

"So," Caroline perks up and looks around at the world outside the car windows, observing, "This is Virginia." Stefan nods in confirmation. "It's nice. Today's a gorgeous day. What's this annual fair we're going to like?" Caroline is secretly excited at the opportunity to spend the next week attending fairs, brunches, beach trips, and parties. She has to keep reminding herself that her first and most important job is being a loving and supportive girlfriend to Stefan. She can do that. She can also enjoy the fair today, and brunch tomorrow, and the beach trip after that...She can enjoy all those things and be the best girlfriend Stefan could ever ask for.

"Oh, it's like any other fair. I'm sure you've had similar ones where you grew up. There are a few fair rides; ferris wheel, bumper cars, those spinning rides that make you want to throw up. There are games and contests, and tons of food. The pie tasting competition is a huge deal. The stage on the Town Green is used for magic shows and circus acts during the day, and musicians at night." Stefan explains it all in a semi-bored tone, but Caroline finds all these details fascinating. Sure they had fairs where she grew up, but she'd only been a few times, and not since she was ten; the year her parents got divorced was the year fun family trips came to an end. This is going to be more fun than she's had in years! Stefan notices the excitement in her eyes and he comments disbelievingly, "You think it's going to be fun?"

"It will be fun," Caroline corrects him confidently, "I'll make sure you have fun, Stefan Salvatore. You look like you need some." Her words come off a little more suggestive than she planned, but her intentions were completely platonic. The guy is not even twenty-six yet but he is more serious than a man in his forties. He doesn't appear to let loose, _ever_, but Caroline is serious when she says she's going to change that. This could be one of the worst weeks in Stefan's life, watching his brother marry his ex-girlfriend, but Caroline plans on making the week as painless as possible. Maybe it'll even be a _good_ week. Well...that might be asking for a little too much, but Caroline has always been somewhat of an optimist.

For the remainder of the ride, Stefan reminds Caroline of the important details about his parents, the bride and groom, and other family and friends. She remembers all of this, but realizes he must be getting a little tense now that they've almost reached their destination. Caroline assures Stefan that she feels prepared, and suggests that he relax because she's got everything under control. As promised, Stefan stops at a restaurant called the Mystic Grill, that Stefan says he used to frequent as a teenager, up until he went away to college. He stays in the car while Caroline freshens up in the ladies' room, not wanting to run into anyone who might recognize him. She takes ten minutes, not five like she swore, but Stefan doesn't complain. Caroline looks beautiful and confident, and he honestly thinks she is the only one of Pearl's Girls that could come anywhere close to comparing to Elena. Not that Stefan is comparing Caroline to Elena...Well, he's _trying _not to.

"Okay," Caroline huffs as she hops back into Stefan's car, "I'm ready. Sorry, I know I said five minutes, but some guy was trying to buy me a drink. I was like, 'Hello, it's lunch-time, I don't drink until dinner...'"

"Don't worry about it," Stefan shrugs off her apology. As he observed just a moment before, Caroline is a beautiful woman, and there's no doubt in his mind she is hit on often.

"Oh," Caroline starts in her seat, pointing a finger in the direction which she came, "There he is. That's the guy. He said his name was-"

"Tyler Lockwood," Stefan fills in, noting that said man has spotted Stefan in the car and was walking their way, "He's the mayor's son."

"So he told me," Caroline admits with a roll of her eyes, clearly unimpressed. She saw Lockwood eyeing her when she walked in and expected him to say something to her when she left the Grill, and she thought he was handsome...until he opened his mouth and used the, 'I'm the mayor's son and I know everyone in town, so what's your name' line. He _is_ handsome, but he's no Stefan Salvatore.

"Stefan," Tyler greets in an overly friendly voice, "I heard you were coming back for Damon and Elena's wedding, but I didn't actually believe it."

"Well, I'm back," Stefan says, Caroline noticing that he seems rather stiff and uncomfortable. "How have you been, Tyler?"

"Good, good," Tyler vaguely answers. He leans on the open window on Stefan's side of the car and peers inside so he can look Caroline in the eyes. "When you said your boyfriend was waiting for you in the car, I didn't know you were talking about Stefan Salvatore."

"Well, I didn't say," Caroline replies cleverly, wondering what this guy's agenda is.

"No, you didn't," Tyler agrees with a cocky smile, "But anyways, it was good to meet you Caroline, and Stefan, nice running into you. I guess I'll see you both later in the week."

"I'm sure you will," Stefan agrees, and then shifts his car into gear to exit the parking lot. Once back on the road, he shakes his head and mutters, "Jackass."

"Old friend of yours, Stefan?" Caroline asks curiously, but also semi-sarcastically because the vibe between Stefan and Tyler was not very friendly at all.

"I don't know if I'd go that far," Stefan corrects, "We went to high school together, graduated the same year. He and I were both on the football team, but we were rivals more than teammates. His parents are friends with mine though, so we've always had to..._play nice_."

Caroline nods, and then she starts to giggle about something and Stefan frowns, wondering what he said that could have been that funny. "I'm just trying to picture you in high school playing football," Caroline explains, "But honestly, I'm having a hard time. I'm surprised." Noting his semi-offended expression, Caroline laughs again and continues, "I'm sorry, I just never took you for a jock. I figured you were one of those shy, brooding, poetic guys...a sexy one though," Caroline comforts, smiling brightly.

Stefan shakes his head in amusement. "Football was just something I did, it wasn't who I was." Remembering a framed picture in Caroline's bedroom, he adds, "You were a cheerleader, right? But I bet that wasn't all you were in high school."

"I don't know," Caroline ponders, "Sometimes I think to some people that's all they saw when they looked at me; a cheerleader. I've definitely changed a lot since high school."

"Most people do," Stefan comments, "But Tyler isn't one of them. He was an ass then, he's an ass now, and he'll probably always be an ass. His dad is the biggest ass in town, though." In his head, he adds, _Except for Damon._

Caroline notices Stefan's grip on the steering wheel seemed to tighten as he took that last turn, and she looks over her shoulder to get a glimpse of the street sign. She turns back to Stefan in disbelief, "Your family has a _Street_ too?" Stefan barely nods in response, seeming too distracted by his own thoughts. "So I take it we're almost there?" Stefan nods again. Caroline stares as a frown starts to form on Stefan's forehead, and soon he's glaring out the windshield at the road in front of him.

"Stefan," Caroline sighs, and he flicks his green-eyed stare to her, "If you act like this when we get there, your family is going to think we're having an argument. Can you say 'Awkward'?" Her tone is light-hearted, but she means every word she says. "I've only known you, like, three weeks and I can see how uncomfortable you are, so I bet your family will notice too. I know it's going to be hard, but you're going to have to try and pretend you're happy...at least happy being with _me._" She unbuckles her seatbelt and slides closer to him, putting her arm on his forearm and running it up to his hand, a reassuring smile on her face. "You can do that, right?"

Stefan can feel the firmness of his face soften up as a smile replaces the frown. He moves his left hand from the steering wheel to cover Caroline's hand and gently squeezes. Slowly, and mostly without looking, Stefan pulls the car to a stop at the side of the road. If Caroline is curious why they're stopping, her face doesn't show it. "Yes," Stefan returns in a serious tone, "I can do that." He removes his hand from hers and replaces it on her cheek, amused at the surprise in her wide blue eyes at the action. He thinks only a moment more about what he's about to do, _It's probably better to do it just once alone before having to do it in front of everyone there, _and then he leans in only a little further and brushes his lips against hers.

Before Caroline has any time whatsoever to react, a car honks at them and the two break apart, her blushing and him chuckling about the unexpected interruption. "Who is that?" Caroline asks of the man and woman in the car pulling out of the driveway of a huge cottage-like mansion. She takes a guess Stefan knows him since he is returning the wave of the man in the driver's seat. The car then pulls in front of Stefan's and starts off down Salvatore Street in the direction Stefan and she are also headed.

"That would be my Uncle Zach, and his wife, Valerie." Stefan replies, almost glad he doesn't have to explain the kiss to her now that she's changed the subject. He eases the car back onto the road and follows Zach's towards his parents' home. "I don't know where the girls are though..."

"Alyssa and Olivia," Caroline fills in, "Right?" She remembers that his Uncle Zach is his father's youngest brother, and was only ten years old when Stefan was born. Stefan's cousins, Zach and Valerie's daughters, are six and eight. Caroline is surprised how easy it was for her to remember. "You didn't mention they lived so close to your parents' house."

"Uncle Zach lives in the old Salvatore Boarding House," Stefan explains, "I guess I forgot because they only moved in a year or two ago. Before that, they were living in North Carolina, where Valerie's family is from."

"It must be hard to keep track of everyone, with such a big family," Caroline comments, finding it somewhat difficult to relate to since both her parents come from one-children homes, and she's the only-child herself. She's a little jealous of Stefan's extensive extended family. His father, Giuseppe Salvatore, also known as Gus, is the oldest of six children. There's Stefan's Uncle Nunzio, who died a few years ago of lung cancer, Uncle Gionni, who lives in Italy, Uncle Alfred, who has six kids himself, Aunt Isabella, the only girl in the family, and then Uncle Zachariah, the baby of the bunch. Then, there's Stefan's sixteen cousins, but Caroline honestly can't remember the names of all of them. She only remembers Alyssa and Olivia, because they are the youngest of the Salvatore cousins, and Stefan's favorite uncle is Uncle Zach. Stefan's mother, like Caroline, was an only child, but since her parents are much younger than Giuseppe's, they are Stefan's only living grandparents. "I can barely remember my own parents' birthdays," Caroline jokes.

"Having a big family has it's ups and downs," Stefan considers, "But mostly, my family lives in other states, and we don't get together all that often. I'd say it's going to be nice to see them, but...under the circumstances..."

"Uhn-uhn," Caroline cuts in, shaking her head, "What did we just talk about?" She cocks her head to the side and smirks playfully, "You are not brooding anymore, Stefan, you are going to be _happy_."

"Right," Stefan sighs. "Happy. I am. I'm...working on it." After a pause, he adds, "You're helping. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Caroline beams. Then, she averts her eyes to the huge white manor at the end of a ridiculously long driveway, and gasps. "Oh my gosh, is that it? That-_that _is your family's home? You live there?" To Caroline, the Salvatore Manor could have come straight from an old movie, one about a rich, but lonely, Southern gentleman who falls in love with an independent, rebellious Southern Belle...But, of course, the two can't be together, because their families are on opposing sides in the debate to abolish slavery, and...Yeah, it looks like that. The three-story manor, shaped in a perfect square, is white with black windowpanes, and four white pillars stretching from the ground to the roof of the massive structure. It looks romantic and classy, and Caroline didn't realize just how rich Stefan's family was until this moment. The long driveway is shaped in a horseshoe, and there are already five other cars parked in the drive, one being Uncle Zach's, whom Stefan parks directly behind. The trees lining the drive in a decorative manner stretch so high, they surpass the height of the massive mansion in it's wake, and must be hundreds of years old. The grounds are spotted with flowers of all shapes and colors, making the whole place appear like the front page cover for a Home Gardening magazine. Caroline is at a complete loss of words.

"This is my parents' home," Stefan confirms, "I grew up here, but honestly? I couldn't wait to get away from all of this. I know how it looks, but trust me it gets to be too much."

He doesn't elaborate, and she might be wrong, but somehow Caroline thinks she understands. As Caroline initially thought, it looks like the setting for a classic romance movie, but in a movie the people are acting, and a place like this looks like it might have the strange effect of bringing out the theatrics in a person. Although for Caroline, this whole week is about acting for her, so maybe she's come to the right place.

"Are you ready?" Stefan asks Caroline as he turns off the car's engine, and she nods in response, a somewhat excited smile on her face. "Let's get this over with then."

The moment Stefan opens his door and steps out of the vehicle, the double doors at the front of the house swing open and seven or eight people spill out, all calling their greetings to Stefan and to his Uncle Zach and Aunt Valerie. Caroline takes a deep breath and reaches for the handle of her own door, but finds it is already being open. Stefan had come around to her side of the car and opened the door for her, like a perfect gentleman, and is now offering his hand to help her out of the car. Caroline grabs his hand gratefully and stands beside him, sending him one last reassuring smile before his family has reached their sides and demand introductions of the lovely but mysterious blonde holding on to his hand.

"Stefan!" A dark-haired woman who looks to be in her early-to-mid fifties calls out to Stefan with her arms out-stretched, "Oh, my boy, I missed you so! Come, give your mother a hug. Don't make her beg for one."

Stefan obliges her request, releasing Caroline's hand so he can step into his mother's arms. Her stature is quite a bit shorter than his, but she wraps her arms around his shoulders, stretching up on her tip-toes, and squeezes him tightly to her. As she does so, her green eyes, identical to Stefan's, peek over his shoulder at the woman behind her son.

"Oh, is this...?" She lets Stefan go and steps around him, "You must be Caroline?" The blonde nods, and a smile breaks out on Maria's face, "Oh my goodness, you are even more beautiful than Stefan described." Then, she surprises Caroline by enveloping her into a hug as well.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Salvatore," Caroline says politely. "Your home looks lovely."

"Please, call me Maria," Mrs. Salvatore insists, "And thank you, dear. Come, let me introduce you to everyone." She links her arm through Caroline's, dragging her closer to the circle of Salvatore's that have gathered to greet Stefan. Maria is glad to see Stefan with someone new, so she is excited to show the girl off. "Gus, this is Stefan's girl, Caroline."

Caroline feels a slight blush creep onto her cheeks at Maria's statement, but she puts on a confident smile and shakes Mr. Salvatore's hand once he's acknowledged her presence. He is tall, a couple inches taller than Stefan, with graying black hair and startling blue eyes, but his strong facial features and hard-set stare remind Caroline of Stefan. Then, Maria introduces her officially to Uncle Zach and Aunt Valerie, their daughters Alyssa and Olivia, and Maria's parents, who both insisted Caroline call them Nonna and Nonno, like everyone else. Maria explains that the rest of the Salvatore family will be arriving late tonight or early tomorrow morning. With introductions over, Caroline finds her way back to Stefan's side, and notes gladly that he seems fairly at ease. He slides his arm around her waist and pulls her closer, placing a light kiss on her temple.

"Damon and Elena are inside," Maria announces to Stefan and Caroline, "If you'd like to go and say hello before settling into your room."

Maria speaks like she's making a suggestion, but Stefan catches the subtle undertones that she thinks he better go in now and speak with his brother and Elena so the week doesn't get off on a bumpy start. Stefan nods and follows his parents inside, along with Caroline and the rest of the introduction party. Once inside, Stefan completely forgets the polite thing to do would be to give Caroline the overlay of the house, and tries to focus on not bashing Damon's face in when he sees him. If he didn't have to see Damon for another ten years, he still thinks it'd be too soon, after what his brother did to him. But today he's forced to see Damon, and Elena, _together_, and he has to pretend to be happy for them. Even with Caroline by his side, Stefan knows this is going to be hard to pull off.

Caroline follows Stefan, trying hard not to allow her jaw to drop open in shock, amazement, fascination, jealousy, and a vast array of other mixed emotions as her eyes take in every detail of the rooms in the Salvatore Mansion. That unreal feeling returns to Caroline, and she almost wants to pinch herself to ensure she's not sleeping, like Dorothy when she awoke in Oz and realized she wasn't in Kansas anymore. Caroline thought New York City was a change from Massachusetts, and it was, but Mystic Falls, Virginia is on another level of its own. Caroline hopes she has enough class and brains to fit in with this ritzy crowd that make up Stefan's family. She hopes she isn't in over her head...

"Brother..."

Stefan stops in his tracks when he hears Damon's voice, turning on the spot to look over Caroline's shoulder at the smug-faced man standing at the top of the stairs. Caroline turns too, and when she sees the raven-haired man with ice blue eyes, her blood runs cold. _No way in Hell, _Caroline thinks, shrinking behind Stefan's back and hoping he doesn't notice her. _This was so not part of the plan!_

"They said you were coming," Damon says as he continues down the stairs, "But I didn't quite believe them. You surprised me, Stef, because here you are." Damon steps off the last stair and stops in front of his little brother.

"Here I am," Stefan repeats with a roll of his eyes. It seems no one had any faith he'd return to Mystic Falls. He surprised everyone when he actually showed up, and with a girlfriend, to top it all off.

Damon seems to be contemplating whether or not Stefan would let him hug him, and decides against it for now. Although, he does think it'd be kind of funny to see Stefan try and shrug him off. Instead, Damon catches sight of something that might be even more interesting to tease; Stefan's new girlfriend.

"And who might this be?" Damon asks of the blonde whose back is to him.

Caroline quickly realizes her plan of hiding was not going to work, so she spins around and pastes a big fake smile on her face. She offers her hand as she forces out a polite introduction, "I'm Caroline, nice to meet you...Damon, right?" _Asshole, _Caroline spews in her head, _You said your name was Rick! You liar! _

Damon's eyes practically bug out of his head when he realizes his brother's new girlfriend is the woman he slept with back in March when he and Elena were on a very brief break. "The one and only," Damon replies smoothly, shaking her hand as he shoots her an easy smile. He notices her eyes narrow slightly and he knows now that she remembers him too. _I am so fucking screwed,_ Damon thinks as he tries to come up with a solution to this highly ill-timed problem.

"Right," Caroline says as she pulls her hand from Damon's grip. She thinks she's going to be sick. This can't possibly be happening to her right now. There's no way her accidental one-night-stand came back to haunt her. _Now! Seriously?! _Caroline turns to Stefan and asks him quietly, "Can you show me where the nearest bathroom is, please?"

"Of course," Stefan replies, directing her down the hall a short ways to the bathroom nearest the kitchen.

Caroline locks herself in the bathroom and leans her back against the door, breathing deeply and staring at her reflection in the mirror, the image showing her a very flustered and not-happy Caroline. "Shit," She mutters under her breath, "What am I going to do?"

Suddenly, Caroline gets an idea. Well, she thinks she might know someone who might have an idea. Caroline opens her small floral clutch and retrieves her cell phone, finding the name of the only person who might be able to help her in this situation; Katherine.

"Uh-oh," Kat states when she picks up, "If you're calling me already, it cannot be good news."

"This is bad, Kat," Caroline whispers into the phone, "This is so bad."

"What happened?" Katherine demands. "Get right to the point, I'm getting ready for a date, and I seriously don't have time for your bullshit if you're only deciding on a pair of heels."

Caroline almost wants to protest to Katherine's semi-harsh words, but she actually agrees with Katherine that there's no time to do anything but get right to the point. "Okay, we just got here, and I met Stefan's family, and I...I..."

"Spit it out!"

"I slept with his brother, Katherine," Caroline hisses shamefully, "I met him at one of those stupid clubs you used to take me to when I first moved here, and he said he was here on business. I was drunk, he was...sexy and smooth-talking. He lied, he's a slimey, _cheating_, liar! And I slept with him. I went back to his hotel with him, and I slept with him. I never do that! I've done that once since moving to New York; _one fucking guy! _How did it end up being Stefan's brother? I don't know what to do. What do I do? I have to tell Stefan."

"Whoa, slow down, girl," Katherine interrupts finally. "You do _not_ want to tell Stefan. Trust me. This is the brother that's marrying his ex, right?"

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing," Katherine insists, "If you tell him, he's not going to be able to get through this week. His brother is marrying his ex-girlfriend, and already slept with his fake-girlfriend, who he can't even fuck! Can you see how this would ruin the week a little, Care?"

"Yeah, but I'll feel horrible lying to him," Caroline complains, feeling torn with what she should do. "He should know, he deserves to know."

"No, Jesus Christ, Caroline," Katherine sounds extremely irritated with her friend at this point, "You have to listen to me on this one. I've been there. It will not end well. Don't tell him. At least not until after the wedding. If you still feel guilty at the end of the week, once you're back home safe and sound, money in your pocket, then you can tell him. And honestly, it's not lying to him unless he specifically asks you if you fucked his brother." She pauses, and then continues, "In that case, you deny, deny, _deny. _This is not a real relationship, Caroline. You are not obligated to tell Stefan who you screw! So please, for the love of God, keep your mouth shut about that, and go be a good little Shameless Girl. Okay?"

"Fine," Caroline sighs, feeling disheartened; her heart is telling her one thing, but her mind another. "I won't tell him. It will make this...job harder on both of us. You're right. Thanks, Kat. I'll let you go get ready for your date now."

"Thank you," Katherine sings into the phone, "Ciao, Bella!"

"Bye." Caroline hangs up and shoves the phone back into the small, cluttered clutch, clasping the metal back together and closing everything inside. She takes a moment to fix a few stray strands of hair, chewing on her lip thoughtfully as she does, and then opens the bathroom door. She jumps in surprise when she's met with Damon's body standing in the doorway.

"Hello," He smirks, putting his hands on her shoulders and pushing her back into the bathroom. He checks the hall to ensure it's still deserted before closing the door and fixing his glare on the blonde-haired problem. "I thought your name was Caitlin?"

Caroline wrinkles up her face in confusion, "Uh, no, I told you my name was Caroline. You're the one who said you were 'Rick'."

Damon had forgotten that he gave her his best friend Alaric's name instead of his own so she wouldn't be able to track him down later, in case it ever got to that point, because Damon never intended on that one-night-stand coming back to fuck up his life a week before his wedding. He's still not intending on letting this one-night-stand fuck up his wedding to Elena. "Sorry about that," He says, waving away her accusation, "I was having a bad weekend. Elena and I were in a fight, she called off the wedding, so I flew to New York, and, well, you know what happened while I was there. After that, I flew back home, Elena and I made up, and the wedding was back on. So...I kind of need you to keep what happened between us...between us, if you catch my drift."

Caroline isn't sure she entirely believes Damon's story, but she decides to buy into it because it means she didn't actually sleep with an engaged-to-be-married man; it means she slept with an engaged-to-be-married-man-on-a-short-break, which is slightly but not too much better. At least he's on the same page as Katherine about not telling anyone about their stupid mistake back in March.

"I don't plan on saying anything," Caroline admits quietly, "To anyone. I didn't know Stefan then, so..."

"So we're good," Damon claps his hands together, feeling relief wash over him, "You and Stefan weren't together, Elena and I were on a break, and it didn't mean anything. No one needs to know about it but us. Good."

"Good," Caroline confirms with a nod. "Mind if I go now?"

"Sure thing, Blondie," Damon says cheekily, throwing open the door and motioning for Caroline to step out of the bathroom before him.

Caroline shakes her head and walks away from Damon, hoping she's heading back in the direction which Stefan took her before. Thankfully, she quickly locates the family, Stefan included, as they are conversing loudly in the kitchen. Caroline meets Stefan's eyes across the room and smiles, finally accepting that it wouldn't be right for her to tell Stefan right now that she slept with Damon. She doesn't know if she can keep the secret forever, but she can do it for now.

"Hi," A beautiful brunette with big brown eyes steps in front of Caroline, a tray of little sandwiches in her arms. She smiles brightly as she states, "I'm Elena, and you're...?" She trails off uncertainly, waiting for the unfamiliar blonde in her mother-in-law's kitchen to fill in the blank.

"Hi," Caroline is a little taken aback by her forwardness, "I'm Caroline." She smiles since she can't exactly shake Elena's hand at the moment. She gestures towards Stefan, who is sitting next to his mother and appears to be in the middle of telling a story to her and the rest of the family at the table. "I'm Stefan's girlfriend."

"Oh," Elena starts, her face clearly showing off her surprise, "Of course. It's so nice to meet you, Caroline. Come sit down, have something to eat." Elena leads the way to the table, placing the sandwich tray in the middle of the table, between a big bowl of salad and a smaller bowl of fresh fruit. Caroline crosses the table to sit in the empty chair next to Stefan, and Elena sits across from her.

Caroline listens close to Stefan's words and catches on that he's making up the story of how they met. She feels sort of bad for abandoning him during the interregation, but they hadn't made anything up, and he's doing a pretty good job. In fact, it almost sounds like he's telling a story about something that really did happen...

"I never go to this bar," Stefan was saying, "I've been two, maybe three times, since I moved to the City, but I stopped in that Friday night for a drink on my way home from work. Just as I got my drink, and took my first sip, the whole bar burst into song. I'm not kidding, someone walked in and everyone in the bar started singing Happy Birthday." _That sounds like what happened on my birthday, _Caroline notices. "I thought it must be someone pretty special to gain the attention of the entire bar, and it turns out to be a gorgeous blonde in a gold-sequin dress, with a thousand-watt smile on her face." _Wait, that's what I wore on my birthday too, _Caroline is starting to wonder if Stefan really was there the night of her birthday. "Somehow," Stefan continues, "I got her number, and she agreed to go to dinner with me. And here she is now," Stefan smiles, taking Caroline's hand. Caroline smiles back, thinking to herself how lucky they both are he's such a good story-teller. Maybe he really will publish that book of his when he finishes writing it.

"And I am so happy she is here," Maria comments, her eyes conveying her joy, "You seem happy, Stefan, and I am happy for you."

Stefan's cheeks actually redden in embarrassment, and he mumbles, "Thanks, Ma."

Caroline saves him from further embarrassment by asking Elena, "Did you make these, Elena?" She points to the sandwiches, inquiring, "They look really yummy. What kind is this?" Unconciously, Caroline squeezes Stefan's hand, which she was still holding, in a comforting gesture. She understands now why he didn't want to come alone, and how embarrassed he would have been about the constant questions of his happiness and relationships. Of course this is easier for him than to admit he hasn't gotten over Elena, which Caroline can see plain as day, but might be the only one; except maybe Elena herself.

"Oh, there's turkey, chicken salad, and salami," Elena points to each one, before confessing, "I actually helped a little, but Maria made most of them..."

Caroline isn't really listening after that, because she feels Stefan squeeze her hand back, and when she averts her eyes to his, she notes that he's staring at her rather fondly. It makes her heart flutter, and she almost feels another wave of panic hit her when she realizes why this whole Damon situation has been weighing so heavily on her shoulders. For some reason, despite knowing the rules and knowing that he can't possibly feel the same, Caroline thinks she might actually _really _like Stefan, in a so-not professional way. She can't be falling for him though, that's impossible. It would never work, she could never tell him, it would ruin everything, and yet Caroline doesn't know how she can stop her heart from feeling the way it does. She supposes it will be another secret she has to keep, because no good would come of that revelation either.

_This stress-free week of fairs, brunches, beach days, and parties is starting out to be kind of stress-filled...I hope that means it can only get better from here...?_

* * *

**Please Review! I love hearing your comments:) And I will most certainly update sooner than last time. **


	6. Chapter 6 The Perfect Fit

**The Only Exception**

**6: The Perfect Fit**

**.**

After eating lunch with the family, Stefan shows Caroline to his old bedroom, which is where they'll be staying, and the two start to settle in. Caroline is relieved to learn that Damon's bedroom is on the complete opposite end of the house, and she hopes that means there won't be another chance for him to get her alone and threaten her about their secret. She is still feeling slightly sick from the discovery that the wedding she'll be attending with Stefan is to the man she stupidly hooked up with over five months ago and thought she'd never see again. Somehow she knows that keeping it a secret from Stefan is the wrong thing to do, but she can't bring herself to tell him the truth. Caroline thinks she's doing a good job at hiding her panic from the unexpected situation she was thrown into, especially during lunch, but now that she and Stefan are alone she's not so sure she's coming off as confident as she'd like to appear.

Stefan is quietly unpacking his suitcase, his mind wandering back to memories he wishes he could forget about this room, most of them involving Elena. If he'd made a real stink about it, he probably could have convinced his mom to stick him and Caroline in a different bedroom for the week, but he honestly didn't feel like getting into it. If he'd requested a change, his mom would have wondered why, and the one person he's no good at lying at is his mother; he would have had to admit he's still not one-hundred percent over Elena, and he'll never say that out loud to anyone. Instead, he'd said nothing, and now he's going to suffer because of it. He supposes even if he were in a different room, his mind would still be plagued with memories of Elena and how different he'd thought the future would be back then.

"Do you..." Caroline cuts into Stefan's depressing thoughts, unable to take the silence any longer, "...know when we're leaving for the fair?"

"About an hour and a half, I believe," Stefan answers, recalling his mother's words of wanting everyone to be ready to go at exactly four o'clock. He notices then that his blonde companion has been awfully quiet since they left his family downstairs, and her face is contemplating, as if she's got a lot on her mind. Stefan pauses in unpacking and turns to Caroline, questioning, "That wasn't too awful, was it?"

Caroline's eyes jump to Stefan's in surprise, and she starts to shake her head, "Oh no, it wasn't awful at all." Since she isn't quite sure which specific part about their arrival he's asking about, she generalizes, "Your family seems really nice, the house is gorgeous, and I have absolutely no complaints. Did _you _think it was awful?"

Stefan considers the question for a long moment before finally replying, "It...could have been a lot worse."

Caroline wonders if Stefan knew about her brief history with his brother if he'd still say the same. Would that make this whole thing worse? Caroline thinks it definitely makes it worse.

"You were great, though," Stefan continues, "My mom really seems to like you. Dad takes longer to come around, but he didn't look like he disapproves." Wrinkling his forehead in thought, he adds, "Even Elena liked you."

Caroline stumbles over her words looking for an appropriate response, "Oh? Well she's...er...she was nice. She's pretty, really pretty. She seemed surprised, uh, that you brought me? I just...did she know?" Caroline closes her mouth and inwardly smacks herself. _What the hell was that? Way to sound like a complete freak of nature._

"Well, I didn't tell her," Stefan explains, leaving out the fact that he hasn't spoken to Elena directly in almost two years, up until today's awkward reunion, "But everyone else knew, so I imagine someone told her."

Caroline nods, hoping to redeem herself, "It's probably a strange situation for her as well." Caroline notes that Stefan seems wary to delve into this topic, and she is tempted to blurt out, _'I love your Nonna and Nonno; they're so cute!' _in an attempt to change the subject, but decides she's going to push forward. Stefan has been putting off and putting off the story of him and Elena, and now here they are in Mystic Falls and Caroline is still clueless about why they broke up. There's no other time to put it off to; she has to know now. Caroline bites her lower lip as she thinks, Stefan watching her all the while, and then she finally requests, "Stefan, will you tell me what happened with you and her?"

He knew she would eventually ask him, but he dreaded the moment he'd actually have to tell Caroline the whole pathetic story of how his and Elena's relationship ended up a train wreck, for him at least. He'd like to say, '_It's not important'_, or '_Ask me later,'_ but he has already used up those excuses. Accepting that he can't evade the question, Stefan sighs loudly as he sits down on the end of his bed.

"I know it's probably not something you like to talk about," Caroline comforts, taking a seat beside him, leaving some space in between, "But I promise, I am not here to judge you. Plus, I'm already on Team Stefan, so you have nothing to worry about." She is pleased to see she made him smile a little bit. "I just feel like I'm the only one here who doesn't know the history, and..."

"And you deserve to know too," Stefan completes for her. "I did say I'd tell you..." But if he really wanted to refuse, he's sure he could convince Caroline she doesn't need to hear all the gory details. He could, but he's not going to. He doesn't like to talk about it, and has never really shared his full side of the story with anyone besides Lexi, but for some reason he trusts Caroline and he decides it's safe to tell her. He clears his throat, "Elena and I were together for seven years. No, _six_, that last one...doesn't really count. I asked her out when we were sophomores in high school and we, I guess, _officially _broke-up two years ago, in August." And how fabulous is it that she's now marrying Damon _in August?_ "She hated Damon when we were in high school; thought he was a sociopath who would eventually become a serial killer one day." Caroline's mouth twitches and she looks unsure whether to laugh or ask him what is wrong with him. Stefan insists, "Elena's words, not mine, but obviously she changed her mind about that. Or maybe she liked him the whole time and didn't want me to know, I don't know, I don't care. Elena swears she and Damon didn't even become friends until the second year I was away at college."

Caroline can see Stefan growing more and more bitter as he reveals his past to her, and she can already see where this is headed. She almost wants to tell him to stop, that it's okay, she doesn't need to hear it, but she wonders if maybe Stefan needs to share it with her. She wonders if he's ever really talked about this before. If it happened to her, would she want to tell? _No. _She'd want to run away and never show her face again.

"When I graduated from Columbia and moved back home, I knew something was weird, _different_, about Damon and Elena. They were too familiar, totally in sync; it was obvious they had moved past friend-territory while I was away. I denied it at first, tried to convince myself it was only because I wasn't around and Elena was substituting Damon for me. But that was bullshit and I knew it. Nothing was the same between us. When I confronted her about it, she didn't deny it, she told me everything, so that's how I know the last year of our relationship meant nothing, not when she was questioning whether or not she was in love with my brother." Stefan takes a deep breath, almost relieved to have the worst part over with. He finishes up quickly, not feeling it necessary to go into detail on Elena and Damon's happily-ever-after, especially not when Caroline is already forced to witness it first-hand for the next week. "After we broke up, they waited three months, and then Elena moved in my house to live with Damon. That's when I decided to move back to New York."

As Stefan shrugs and leans back to look at her, Caroline realizes his story has come to an end, and even though her mind is racing with many thoughts and opinions about his words, Caroline is surprised to admit, "I-I don't know what to say."

Stefan raises an eyebrow and states dryly, "You're kidding; you have something to say about everything."

"Are you saying I talk a lot?" Caroline accuses, catching on that he's teasing her. Stefan nods and she pretends to be wounded. "I'll remember that, Stefan. Well, like I said, I wasn't going to judge. And I don't want to say anything..." _Anything that will make you hate me. _Caroline wrings her hands together as she debates whether or not to tell Stefan what she really thinks. Its one thing for him to think or say negative things about Damon and Elena, but it's another entirely for Caroline to do so. Stefan might think he's ready to hear some harsh feedback on his brother and ex-girlfriend's actions, but what if he's not mentally ready? Then Caroline could be jeopardizing her relationship, her _professional relationship_, with Stefan and that is not something she can afford to lose.

Stefan can see the inner conflict Caroline is having written all over her face, and it makes him all that much more curious to know what's on her mind. Since meeting her three weeks ago, the outspoken blonde has never been too shy to tell him her honest opinion of any given situation. Usually, she talks so much he can barely get a word in, not that he's complaining, but now she's at a complete loss of words. It is puzzling to him.

Finally, Caroline shakes her head, frowning deeply in confusion, "God – I just don't…" Deciding it just isn't in her to keep quiet, she scoffs, "What the fuck were they thinking? Seriously, you're his brother. He's your _brother. _Did that not mean anything to either of them?" Once she gets started, it's like the floodgates have opened up, and she can't stop the words from spilling out. "How can people be so _selfish _that they only think about themselves and their feelings? It's like, people like that don't care who they hurt, or how many lives get ruined, just as long as they're happy in the end, that they got what they wanted. It's so disgusting. What happened to real love? What happened to faithful relationships? They don't exist anymore, because there are so many selfish people out there with their own hidden agendas. Marriage is a sham, too. Was there ever a time when 'unavailable' actually meant '_unavailable_'? Cheating has become a friggin' sport, people do it for fun, do it to see how long they can get away with it, and how many hearts they can break. I used to be a true believer, but I can honestly say that I have no faith anymore, in love or marriage. I don't think I'll ever get married. You think you know someone…but you never really do."

Stefan follows along listening intently to Caroline's every word. He wasn't expecting her to get so worked up over it, almost like she was taking it personally what was done to Stefan in the past; not that he isn't appreciative of someone else who shares in his belief that Damon and Elena are selfish and that what they did was wrong. He is curious to know if Caroline formed these strong opinions of love and marriage after a personal experience herself, or from some other reason. He doesn't know very many girls who have zero faith in marriage and want nothing to do with it. He would never have guessed Caroline felt that way, either. If anything, he thought Caroline was a bit of a romantic herself. He does think she's onto something when she says that you never really know a person; he thought he knew Elena better than he even knew himself, but he turned out to be dead wrong.

When Stefan doesn't say anything, Caroline assumes she took things way too far. _See? Look what you did, _She thinks to herself, _You should have just stuck with the 'I don't know what to say' comment. Now you've scared the poor guy. _She should have known better, really, what with her relationship history. She may be having a dry streak at the moment, but back in Massachusetts, she'd been a regular dater. She had a steady boyfriend too, not that he was anyone to really brag about. She wasn't a man-hater or anything, she just had seen and experienced heart break too many times to believe something could actually make feeling that shitty worth it. True love was something made up to help make the world seem less scary, much like Santa Claus was made up to keep children on their best behavior, and Cinco De Mayo was adopted by the Americans as another excuse to get totally inebriated.

"I'm sorry," Caroline states nervously, "That was really inappropriate. I shouldn't have been-"

"What?" Stefan cuts in, a small smirk appearing on his lips as he suggests, "Honest? I'd prefer you tell me what you really think as opposed to saying you have no opinion at all."

Caroline is still unsure, "Yeah, but I'm sure you didn't want to hear my five-minute rant on why everyone's a cheater and marriage is pointless. I just – My mom and dad got divorced when I was eleven, because my dad finally decided he wanted to be who he truly was; a gay man. Now I don't have any resentment towards my dad for being gay, you can't choose who you love, but I do resent what he did to my mom, and how he left her broken-hearted and questioning the legitimacy of her thirteen-year marriage. I've talked to my dad about his sexual orientation, about when he knew he was attracted to men, and why he kept it a secret for so long. I can understand why it was scary for him to…_come out_, but that doesn't mean I approve of his actions. What he did to my mom was still cheating, he committed adultery, and that's wrong. Nothing he can say will make it right. He knew how he was feeling before he acted upon those feelings, so there was time to break things off the right way with my mom. But he _chose _to do things the wrong way." After a pause, Caroline relates the situation to Stefan's, "Same with Elena and Damon. Clearly, Elena knew she was developing feelings for Damon before she acted on them, and she could have done the right thing by telling you, but she didn't. It doesn't matter what her reasons were, if she was confused, or if she just wanted time to figure things out. Whatever the reason, it was a selfish one, and she should have thought things through and done what was right."

Stefan knew that Caroline's parents were divorced when she was in sixth grade, she told him so on their date at the Central Park Zoo, but she hadn't told him it was because her dad is gay. He thinks it explains a lot about her, especially her recent confession at being anti-marriage. Stefan has another theory, but he keeps it to himself for now. Instead, Stefan states, "You remind me of my friend Lexi."

"I do?" Caroline asks, feeling somewhat thrilled at being compared to the only person Stefan was truly looking forward to seeing on this trip.

Stefan nods, further explaining, "Lexi acts like it's her job to cheer me up. She says I'm always brooding, which if I'm not mistaken, you've also said. She is considerably more sarcastic than you, but you can both make me laugh, and that's not something too many can do. She doesn't believe in marriage, either. And she thinks Damon and Elena are both assholes."

"I didn't say that," Caroline reminds him, "Not in those exact words, at least. But I'm not denying that it's true…"

Stefan cracks a smile, "I can't wait for you to meet her."

"Neither can I," Caroline returns his smile, glad to see one on his face after the emotional conversation they've been having. He kept himself surprisingly cool and collected throughout the whole confession, something she's not sure she could have done herself if their roles were reversed. The more time she spends with him, the more she realizes just how perfect Stefan Salvatore is. He is polite and generous, a perfect gentleman, easy to communicate with, intelligent, and extremely good looking. He's the total package. She can't stop wondering, _How could she want __**him **__and not __**you? **_

* * *

"So, Caroline," Elena asks casually as the two women wait in line for frozen lemonade, "How long have you and Stefan been together?"

Caroline, who was already thrown off guard when Elena offered to help her purchase refreshments for the group, is further surprised by the brunette's boldness. She might be playing coy, but Caroline knows how girls think, and right now Elena is sizing her up, almost like she's competition. Elena shouldn't see Caroline as competition though, because if the prize is Damon, she's already won.

"Uh, a little over four months," Caroline replies, sticking to the story she and Stefan came up with over the past couple of weeks. It feels strange having a conversation with Elena, seeing how a little over an hour ago Caroline was sitting with Stefan in his room discussing all the ways she and Damon hurt him. At first impression, Caroline had thought Elena seemed like a genuine and sweet girl, but after learning what she is capable of, Caroline has to assume she's hiding a darker-self behind those innocent brown doe eyes. Caroline has a role to play, though, and part of that role is to play nice with Miss Elena Gilbert.

"And you met at a bar, on your birthday?" Elena asks Caroline to confirm what she remembers of Stefan's story at lunch.

Caroline nods, improvising, "That's right. My best friend works there, so she asked me to stop in on my birthday, and I did. I almost didn't, almost stayed home and had a low-key birthday celebration, but I'm really glad I decided to go. If I hadn't, I would have never met Stefan." She smiles dreamily, staring over Elena's shoulder in the direction of the seating area in front of the stage, like a loving and devoted girlfriend would. She can't see him, but she knows Stefan is sitting with his family in one of the rows, saving a seat for herself and Elena, as they wait for the magic show to start. Stefan told Caroline they didn't have to stay with the family the entire time, but Caroline thinks it's too soon for them to disappear from the group. That is why she offered to grab drinks for everyone, and ended up in the slowest-moving line ever with Damon's bride-to-be, whom she's not even sure she likes very much.

"How long have you been living in the city?" Elena shoots another question, not even commenting on Caroline's response to her previous one.

"A little over six months," Caroline answers while her blue gaze is focused on the kid running the frozen lemonade stand, willing him to pour the damn drinks faster so she can take her order and get back to Stefan. Sparing Elena the chance to ask, she supplies, "Before that, I lived in Massachusetts."

"Ah, so you're from New England," Elena states, a smile on her lips, "My mom was born and raised in Connecticut. She moved to Virginia for college, and that's where she met my dad."

Caroline had met Elena's parents, Miranda and Grayson Gilbert, a few minutes before she and Elena got in line. "Well, I don't blame her for staying," Caroline comments, "It's a beautiful state. I've never been, before today."

At long last, it is Caroline and Elena's turn to order. They buy eight large frozen lemonades, not realizing it would be difficult to carry back with only two of them, and therefore have to walk very slowly to their seats. At least Elena is too distracted to ask Caroline any more personal questions. As the two women make their way down the row which Stefan and his family have sat in, Elena squeals happily and calls out her hello's to someone who joined the group while they were gone. The brunette quickens her pace, passing off her frozen drinks to whoever was closest to her on her way to the handsome young man with light brown hair and warm brown eyes. He grins and takes Elena into his arms for a tight hug. Caroline shoots Stefan, who was the unlucky one that got stuck holding Elena's lemonade, a questioning glance.

"Her brother," Stefan informs, "Jeremy."

Caroline nods once before plopping herself in the empty seat beside Stefan. Elena doesn't return, instead opting for the seat by her parents and her brother, so Stefan passes down her frozen lemonade, and the others that were purchased for her parents and Damon. Caroline hands out the rest of the lemonade to Stefan's parents, and to Alyssa and Olivia. Sticking the straw in the last remaining lemonade, Caroline takes a long refreshing sip and then offers some to Stefan, hoping he doesn't mind sharing with her. He doesn't hesitate to drink from the cup, so she relaxes, fixing her eyes upon the stage, which hasn't changed much in appearance since before she left.

"I thought you said the magic show was about to -" Caroline starts to ask Stefan, but the rest of her question is drowned out by the sound of an announcer on the speaker system. The show is starting. Caroline turns to Stefan and catches him laughing, she assumes at her eagerness for the amateur magic show to begin.

Once the show is over, Stefan asks Caroline what she thought. "I guess I'm just confused still," Caroline complains, "I mean, he put a bunny in the snake box. I realize he pulled a _different _rabbit out after, but what happened to the first one? Seriously, what if it got eaten by the snake?"

"Caroline," Stefan assures her, finding her concern for the bunny's safety cute, if not a little silly, "I don't think any bunnies were harmed during the magic show. I'm sure the snake and the bunny weren't really in the same box."

"I hope not," Caroline pouts, "I really like bunnies."

"Caroline!" Elena calls when she sees her blonde-haired acquaintance walking with Stefan in the direction of the ticket booth. She waves them over, "Come here, I want you to meet my brother and my best friend." She motions to the couple standing next to her; her brother Jeremy holding hands with a caramel-skinned brunette. When Caroline is close enough to talk in a normal tone, Elena introduces, "This is my brother, Jeremy, and his girlfriend, Bonnie Bennett. Guys, this is Caroline, Stefan's new girlfriend."

Caroline might have noticed the tense look exchanged between Elena and Stefan, if she'd been paying attention, but her eyes were elsewhere. Caroline starts to smile and wave, but she falters and does a double-take when she recognizes the face of the dark-haired, green-eyed woman standing next to Jeremy. Caroline's mouth drops open in shock, but she quickly recovers, checking, "Bonnie? Wait, Bonnie Bennett?" Elena had said her name, but it didn't click until right then.

Bonnie also realizes pretty fast that Stefan's new girlfriend isn't a stranger to her, as she initially thought. "Oh my God, Caroline!" Bonnie steps forward, a huge smile breaking out on her face, and she and Caroline hug.

"I can't believe it!" Caroline gushes, "I never thought I'd see you again. It's been - What? - eighteen years? What are you doing here?"

"I live here," Bonnie informs her old friend with a laugh, "My Grams and I moved here after..._you know, _and I've been in Mystic Falls ever since. What about you? How long have you been in New York?"

"Not too long," Caroline replies, "Six, almost seven, months now."

"Um…" Elena cuts in quietly, not too happy about being left out. "You two know each other?"

Bonnie sends her best friend an apologetic look before explaining, "Caroline and I are both from Warwick, Massachusetts."

Caroline jumps in when Bonnie pauses, adding, "Bonnie lived like two streets away from me, and we were _best _friends."

"Yup," Bonnie confirms, "From Pre-K to second grade, when I moved here."

"We stayed in touch for a while, but…" Caroline shrugs, feeling disappointed at the way things worked out, "Eventually we lost contact."

"But now you're here," Bonnie points out, "And we can finally catch up."

"I would love to," Caroline agrees with a nod, finally turning to look over her shoulder at Stefan, who has been patiently waiting as she and Bonnie spoke. She didn't realize that he must be just as confused as Elena, and probably feeling awkward in said brunette's company as well. While Caroline would really like to keep talking with Bonnie, she knows she should probably put it off to a different day. Casually taking hold of Stefan's hand, she informs the other three that, "I think Stefan and I are going to go do our own thing for a little while. He promised to take me on the Ferris wheel, so…"

Bonnie nods in understanding, "Sure, of course. Well, I'll see you on Monday. Jeremy and I are coming to the beach, too, so we'll have plenty of time to catch up then."

"Okay," Caroline says with a smile, stepping forward to give Bonnie another hug, while Stefan simply waves to her and Jeremy. He then puts his arm around Caroline, and directs her to the ticket booth, which was where they were headed before Elena interrupted them. "Wow," Caroline murmurs once they are far enough away to not be overheard, "I can't believe that just happened. What are the odds?"

Stefan seems to agree, "It's a small world…"

"I guess so. My childhood best friend is…Elena's best friend. And-" Suddenly realizing that this might pose a problem for her, seeing how she's not really Stefan's girlfriend, she's a hired escort, she stops in her tracks and looks to Stefan with wide blue eyes. "Oh my gosh, I didn't even think - Is this bad? You're not mad, are you? I had no idea-" She is distracted when Stefan squeezes her hand gently and shakes his head.

"There's nothing to be mad about," Stefan answers, his words instantly relieving Caroline's nerves.

"Are you sure?" She wants to double-check anyways.

Stefan nods, his grip tightening on her waist as he takes a step closer, "Positive." He leans close to Caroline's face, his cheek just barely brushing against hers, so he whisper in her ear, "Elena's watching." Then he pulls back just far enough to peck her on the lips.

It was the second time that Stefan kissed her but Caroline couldn't help feeling like he gave his Nonna a better kiss than her this time. When he kissed her in the car he was much more relaxed, but with Elena's eyes on them, he definitely froze up. When he moves to step back, Caroline puts her arms around his neck to hold him in place, insisting in a teasing tone, "That was _not _a kiss." She takes his eyebrow quirk as an open invitation, and meets him halfway, this time initiating and kissing him like she would if he really were hers. But they're in public, so she keeps it short and sweet. Then she lets her arms drop and points behind him, happily noting, "Look, there's not a line anymore. Let's go get some tickets. I'm not leaving until we ride the Ferris wheel."

Caroline leads the way, tugging Stefan along behind her. He wasn't expecting Caroline to show up his kiss, but in hind-sight he has to admit hers was better, much better. She surprises him everytime they're together, and usually he doesn't like surprises, but with her he thinks he could get used to them. A few times today he found himself wondering if Caroline is _too_ perfect of a match for him, because she so easily fits into the role of his girlfriend, and everyone seems to love her; everyone except Elena, that is. Caroline is a beautiful person, inside and out. She's confident and charming, up-beat, attentive, and she just seems to get him somehow. But...Stefan isn't looking for a real girlfriend, he's not ready, and Caroline knows that, so that is the only reason why the situation works. It is strictly business. It has to stay that way. Stefan really hopes Lexi will be getting to town soon, he needs her to help him keep his shit together. Maybe he'll even tell her about Caroline, and how she isn't his girlfriend, but a Shameless Girl...

After buying enough tickets to go on the Ferris wheel and possibly one other ride, Caroline insists they get in line right away. It moves fairly slow, but Caroline and Stefan have an easy time falling into conversation. Soon enough, it's their turn to climb into the two-person seat and they start to rise up over the rest of the fair. The sun is starting to go down, not quite sunset, but the clouds are starting to streak with faint purples and pinks and it's beautiful.

"You never told me you were at Shameless the night of my birthday," Caroline comments when the thought pops into her head. She's not sure why she thought of it now, and not earlier when she and Stefan were unpacking. It took time for her brain to process that if he knew all those details of the night, he must have witnessed them first hand. "I didn't see you."

"You didn't know me," Stefan reminds, but still continues on to explain that everything he said was what actually happened that night, the only exception being that he didn't approach her for her number. Instead, he waited until after Caroline left, and asked Pearl if she was one of her Girls. Pearl had said, 'Not yet, but maybe soon,' and then called him back the next day to say Caroline was officially a Shameless Girl, and ready for a date.

Caroline is almost too shocked at learning Stefan had actually _requested her _to say anything following his explaination. _Why did he want me? _Caroline wonders, _What did he see in me that made him choose me over Pearl's other girls? _"I didn't know about the Shameless Girls until the night of my birthday," Caroline states once she finds her voice, "Katherine told me after I complained that I wasn't making enough money for my place. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I asked Kat to talk to Miss Pearl for me anyway, and they both convinced me to at least give it a shot. I guess I got lucky when my first date was with you...according to Katherine, most of the clients aren't nearly as young or interesting to talk to as you. Or handsome," She adds with a wink.

"Nah," Stefan corrects, "I got lucky. If Pearl hadn't called me back, I'd be here alone right now."

"Or with Katherine," Caroline suggests.

"No, I would never have brought Katherine," Stefan denies, unconsciously pulling Caroline closer to him when he feels her shudder from the breeze at the top of the Ferris wheel.

Caroline leans into his warmth gratefully, feeling happy that Stefan not only chose her, but he chose her over Katherine. And he isn't disappointed in his choice. He chose _her_. Maybe that shouldn't mean so much because the relationship isn't real, but for this week Stefan is hers and she is his; at least, in everyone else's eyes. She might be feeling things somewhat innapropriate for the current situation, but if she keeps on reminding herself that none of it is real, she's sure to be fine. And who knows? She could be feeling this way simply because she misses being with a man, and Stefan is giving her attention. Maybe when they get back to New York and go their separate ways, the feelings will fade away...But for now, she's going to savor every moment in Stefan's arms, because something about being there feels just right.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading and reviewing last chapter! And thanks to all the new and returning followers(: I hope you liked the chapter**.

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**Next Chapter: More guests arrive, Church, brunch, and maybe a trip to the bridal store for a final dress fitting? And, of course, more Steroline moments(:**

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**-MissCarolineForbes**


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